Lord Justice Burnett has been appointed as the new Lord Chief Justice.
Downing Street announced the 59-year-old Court of Appeal judge will take over as head of the judiciary of England and Wales on October 2.
He steps into the role following the retirement of the current Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas.
Sir Ian Burnett has been involved in many high-profile cases and inquiries during his career.
His final case at the bar was as counsel to the inquests into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi al Fayed.
As well as being head of the judiciary, the Lord Chief Justice is also president of the courts of England and Wales.
Key responsibilities include representing the views of the judiciary to Parliament and Government.
The appointment of the Lord Chief Justice is made by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Lord Chancellor following the recommendation of an independent selection panel.
Sir Ian, who lives in Essex with his wife and children, was educated at St John's College, Southsea, which was then a direct grant grammar school, on a scholarship from West Sussex County Council.
He went on to study law at Pembroke College, Oxford, and was called to the bar in 1980.
In 1998 he was appointed as a QC and appointed to the High Court in 2008.
During his career he has acted as junior counsel to the King's Cross Fire inquiry and to the inquiry into the convictions of the Guildford Four and Maguire family.
He was leading counsel to the inquiry into the Southall rail crash and into train protection systems following the Paddington train crash.
Sir Ian has been involved in many judicial review and public law cases and, in the years following 9/11, those concerning the Government's response to the risk of terrorist attack.
He was presiding judge of the Western Circuit from 2011 until 2014, when he was appointed to the Court of Appeal.
As a judge in the Court of Appeal he has heard the full range of civil, family and criminal appeals.
Sir Ian is the appeal judge with responsibility for extradition cases and is also supervising Lord Justice for immigration and public law appeals.
Lord Thomas, who was appointed in 2013, retires from the role on October 1.