Geoffrey Vos
The Master of the Rolls was originally responsible for the safe-keeping of charters, patents and records of important court judgments written on parchment rolls. He still has responsibility for documents of national importance, being Chairman of the Advisory Council on Public Records and Chairman of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts.
The Master of the Rolls is, by virtue of his office, a judge of the Court of Appeal and is the President of its Civil Division. He is responsible for the deployment and organisation of the work of the judges of the division as well as presiding in one of its courts.
He normally sits with two Lord or Lady Justices of Appeal and there is occasionally a third member such as a retired Lord or Lady Justice. The most complex cases traditionally come before the Master of the Rolls.
The Master of the Rolls is second in judicial importance to the Lord/Lady Chief Justice. He is consulted on matters such as the civil justice system and rights of audience.