Sir Brian Kerr has been appointed as Northern Ireland's new Lord Chief Justice and will take over in the New Year from Sir Robert Carswell.
Sir Robert has been appointed as a Lord of Appeal and will make way for the new Lord Chief Justice on January 12th.
Sir Brian, a High Court judge since 1993, said: "There will be many challenges ahead but I look forward to meeting these with the help of all my colleagues at the various judicial tiers.
"The justice system is in a period of considerable change. As judges we recognise that we must play our part in the implementation of those changes," Sir Brian said.
"For instance we will be participating in the establishment of a new Judicial Appointments Commission and will be dealing with the many legislative initiatives that will have an impact on the work of the courts.
"I am confident that the judiciary will rise to the challenge that these changes present while continuing to manage the ongoing and significant workload undertaken in courts at every level," he said.