Former Supreme Court Justice Lord Roger Toulson has died aged 70.

He was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court in April 2013, serving until September last year.

A member of Inner Temple, he was called to the Bar in 1969 and became a Queen’s Counsel in 1986 before joining the bench in 1995.

In 1996, he was appointed to the High Court (Queen’s Bench Division). He sat in the Commercial Court and in the Administrative Court and was then Presiding Judge on the Western Circuit from 1997 to 2002.

Between 2002 and 2006, he was Chairman of the Law Commission of England and Wales, after which he was appointed to the Court of Appeal of England and Wales in 2007. He has also served on the Judicial Appointments Commission for England and Wales.

President of the Supreme Court Lord Neuberger said: “It is with great sadness that the Supreme Court learns of the death of Lord Toulson, who has been serving on the Supreme Court’s Supplementary Panel following his retirement as a full time Justice of the Court in September 2016.

“Justices and staff alike are shocked by the news, and we offer our deepest sympathy to Lady Toulson, his children and their families. They are all very much in our thoughts at this tragic time.

“Through his judgments and during hearings, Lord Toulson demonstrated a learned, deeply thoughtful and principled approach to resolving legal problems. These qualities ensure that his enormous contribution to the common law will always be remembered as disproportionate to the relatively short time for which he served upon the Supreme Court. And of course, he made great contributions to the law and to the administration of justice as a judge in the High Court and Court of Appeal, as well as a practising barrister before that.

“He will never know the full extent of the impact that his considerate, thoughtful and encouraging nature had on the Court, the wider profession and the society we serve, but it is a legacy that we will all treasure long into the future.

“He was a truly valued colleague, a man of honour, modesty and integrity who will be deeply missed by all with whom he worked.”