The Honourable Sir Henry Bernard Eder QC, a renowned English silk (Queen’s Counsel), has been appointed to act as Judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.

He will be assigned to the Commercial Division in the Territory of the Virgin Islands, with effect from June 13 for a period of one month.

Sir Bernard was called to the Bar in 1975 and took Silk in 1991. In 2011, he was appointed a Justice of the High Court of England and Wales (Queens Bench Division) and granted a knighthood. He regularly sat in the Commercial Court and also from time to time, the Administrative Court and in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division). Sir Bernard retired from the High Court in 2015 and returned to private practice at Essex Court Chambers where he serves as an arbitrator or mediator. On May 7, 2015, he was appointed an International Judge at the Singapore International Commercial Court.

Premier, Dr. the Honourable D. Orlando Smith, OBE, recently announced the appointment of two new judges to the BVI Commercial Court. Justice Gerhard Wallbank, an experienced litigator in the region with previous experience as a judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court was appointed Commercial Court Judge from May 16 for the next several months. Justice Jules Sher QC, another leading English silk was also appointed visiting Judge on May 2 for a period of six weeks.  Sir Bernard’s appointment takes up where Justice Sher’s ends.

Premier Smith said, “Recognising the value of an effective and efficient judiciary to the Territory's commercial sector, including the financial services industry, the Chief Justice has appointed additional judges to the Court to keep pace with its growing and increasingly complex caseload, in order to maintain the efficiency of the court.”

Sir Bernard is currently Senior Editor of the leading shipping textbook, Scrutton on Charterparties and Bills of Lading.