Justice secretary Jack Straw (pictured) appointed Family Division High Court judge Sir James Munby on Saturday as chairman of the Law Commission for three years, until August 2012.

Straw said he was confident Munby would be a valuable asset to the Law Commission and further enhance the important work it carries out. Sir James was called to the bar in 1972, appointed Queen's Counsel in 1988 and a High Court judge in 2000, assigned to the Family Division. Munby succeeds Lord Justice Etherton.

The Law Commission is an advisory non-departmental public body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice and established by the Law Commissions Act 1965. It exists to review the law of England and Wales and to recommend reforms 'to make the law as fair, modern, simple and cost-effective as possible', according to its website.