Patrons

JUDGE WILLIAM TAYLOR has been the senior Circuit Judge for the City of Plymouth since 1990, and has served on the bench for over twenty years. He has also worked part time as a lecturer at the Council for Legal Education. He has served on a number of key regional policy committees including the Criminal Justice Strategy Committee for Devon and Cornwall, and the Probation and Magistrates Courts Committees for both Devon and Cornwall.

He has been particularly influential on the issue of drugs and crime, where he has worked with the police and criminal justice agencies to identify substance abuse at the earliest possible stage, and 'invented' drug testing and treatment orders to seek constructive rehabilitation of offenders. This early identification scheme has become a national pilot project. Recently, his judicial contribution was recognised with an honorary title, Recorder of Plymouth for life.

Judge Taylor has been a strong supporter of law teaching at the University, and became Honorary President of the University Student Law Society when it was set up in 1993, a position he still holds. He is also a Governor at Blundell's School, Tiverton, Devon.

He became the Patron of Twelves Company in April 2008.