- raft of measures to tackle under-representation in the
judiciary
- new statistics provide most complete picture of diversity in
the legal system ever
- flexible working hours to help those with childcare
A series of measures are designed to encourage more women and
people from BAME backgrounds, or with a disability to apply for
judicial roles. These include more flexible working hours,
targeted guidance on applications, as well as a review of the
eligibility criteria to ensure no one group is being
unintentionally deterred from applying.
The plan has been drawn up by the Judicial Diversity Forum (JDF),
which includes the Lord Chancellor, Lord Chief Justice, the chair
of the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) and leaders from
the legal professions. It was set up in 2019 to provide strategic
direction for improving diversity and to challenge structural
barriers to judicial appointment.
Today’s (17 September 2020) announcement comes as a new report,
for the first time, combines the diversity data of the legal
professions, judicial appointments and the judiciary. It revealed
that while significant progress has been made – women remain
under-represented in judicial roles, making up only 26% of more
senior positions in the High Court and above. Meanwhile, despite
the number of BAME judges increasing in recent years, they
comprise just 8% of all court judges and 12% of tribunal judges.
Lord Chancellor, QC, said:
Encouraging diversity is vital if we are to have a legal system
that truly reflects and represents the range of voices in our
society.
Today’s figures show there are more women and people from black
and minority ethnic backgrounds in judicial roles than ever
before. But we must do more, and this action plan will help to
ensure talented people from all walks of life can join the
judiciary.
The action plan also includes steps to boost the number of
solicitors appointed to the parts of the judiciary where they are
currently underrepresented. Other measures consist of:
- A 2 year pilot programme of targeted outreach and support
activity by the JAC.
- A unit within the JAC providing advice and guidance to
potential candidates from underrepresented backgrounds including
BAME, women, disabled and solicitor candidates for specific
senior court and tribunal roles.
- A review of the eligibility criteria for appointment with the
aim of reviewing and removing any unnecessary barriers that
discourage or prevent applications for judicial posts.
- Continued support for Pre-Application Judicial Education
programme (PAJE) and a campaign to reach over 200 applicants a
year.
- A revised Salaried Part-Time Working policy (SPTW) will be
introduced which offers the judiciary a more flexible working
offer – accounting for childcare commitments.
- An ongoing recruitment programme to recruitment not only
more, but more diverse magistrates.
Notes to editors
