*/
Poor working conditions and ‘dilapidated’ court buildings are having a detrimental effect on recruiting and retaining judges, the House of Lords Constitution Committee warned.
The committee was also ‘deeply concerned’that the pension dispute between the government and judges has damaged judicial morale.
It called on the government to take steps to improve diversity, including encouraging more solicitors to apply for judicial positions, enabling chartered legal executives who have been district judges to apply for higher court roles and removing obstacles faced by government lawyersin gaining the required experience. It also recommended a rethink of the fixed retirement age of 70 for judges.
Committee Chair, Baroness Taylor of Bolton, said:‘The UK has one of the finest judicial systems in the world. However, we have found an alarming number of factors are currently affecting recruitment to the bench, and we are deeply concerned about the impact they are having on the retention of current judges and the attractiveness of the judiciary as a career for potential applicants.’
‘To maintain our gold standard legal system we need the best and brightest candidates coming forward for judicial appointment.
She added that the committee was ‘concerned’ about the lack of diversity on the bench and disappointed with the limited progress since its last report in 2012.
Poor working conditions and ‘dilapidated’ court buildings are having a detrimental effect on recruiting and retaining judges, the House of Lords Constitution Committee warned.
The committee was also ‘deeply concerned’that the pension dispute between the government and judges has damaged judicial morale.
It called on the government to take steps to improve diversity, including encouraging more solicitors to apply for judicial positions, enabling chartered legal executives who have been district judges to apply for higher court roles and removing obstacles faced by government lawyersin gaining the required experience. It also recommended a rethink of the fixed retirement age of 70 for judges.
Committee Chair, Baroness Taylor of Bolton, said:‘The UK has one of the finest judicial systems in the world. However, we have found an alarming number of factors are currently affecting recruitment to the bench, and we are deeply concerned about the impact they are having on the retention of current judges and the attractiveness of the judiciary as a career for potential applicants.’
‘To maintain our gold standard legal system we need the best and brightest candidates coming forward for judicial appointment.
She added that the committee was ‘concerned’ about the lack of diversity on the bench and disappointed with the limited progress since its last report in 2012.
Chair of the Bar reports back
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
A £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs has been made to the leading UK charity tackling international parental child abduction and the movement of children across international borders
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, outlines the drug and alcohol testing options available for family law professionals, and how a new, free guide can help identify the most appropriate testing method for each specific case
By Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, examines the latest ONS data on drug misuse and its implications for toxicology testing in family law cases
The odds of success are as unforgiving as ever, but ambition clearly isn’t in short supply. David Wurtzel’s annual deep‑dive into the competition cohort shows who’s entering, who’s thriving and the trends that will define the next wave
Where to start and where to find help? Monisha Shah, Chair of the King’s Counsel Selection Panel, provides an overview of the silk selection process, debunking some myths along the way
Do chatbot providers owe a duty of care for negligent misstatements? Jasper Wong suggests that the principles applicable to humans should apply equally to machines
There is no typical day in the life as a Supreme Court judicial assistant, says Josephine Gillingwater, and that’s what makes the role so enjoyably diverse
Kindness Ambassadors – coming to a courtroom near you! Valerie Charbit, Nicola Shannon KC and Professor Robin Banerjee update readers on the second phase of the project examining, and promoting, the impact of kindness and how it can fit into an adversarial system
