Following the end of the war, Drake completed studies at
Exeter College, Oxford in
jurisprudence. He was
called to the Bar at
Lincoln's Inn in 1950, joining 4 Paper Buildings (later Hailsham Chambers), in
Inner Temple. Drake later
took silk. He was appointed a
High Court Judge of the
Queen’s Bench Division in 1978 where one of his first cases was the murder of
Carl Bridgewater. The conviction was overturned in 1997. In 1991, Drake succeeded
Sir Michael Davies as the judge in charge of the jury list. Following retirement in 1995, he continued to hear occasional cases. He served as Treasurer of
Lincoln's Inn in 1997. He also served as the mayor of
St Albans. {{Infobox COA wide ==References==