Joanna Smith: podcast appearances and interviews

Dame Joanna Angela Smith, born on 27 April 1968, is a British High Court judge assigned to the Chancery Division. She was educated at King's Ely and attended Christ Church, Oxford, where she graduated with a first-class MA in jurisprudence. Smith was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1990 and practiced primarily in commercial, professional negligence, and construction law from Cornerstone Chambers and Wilberforce Chambers. She took silk in 2009 and appeared in notable cases, including the 2015 Cavendish Square Holding BV v Talal El Makdessi before the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. In addition to her practice as a barrister, she served as an arbitrator. Smith was appointed a deputy High Court judge in 2017 and received a damehood in 2020 following her appointment as a full-time judge. Her appointment to the High Court came on 15 February 2021, marking a significant advancement in her judicial career. Born and raised in London, she is married to Mark Vanhegan, a fellow King's Counsel, and they have two daughters.