*/
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.
The Chair of the Bar reports back
By Kem Kemal, CEO, Henry Dannell
By BSK Financial Planning
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs
Susie Griffin on the admin that keeps barristers from billable work
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, explains how global events can influence the performance of pensions and ISAs, and why taking a long-term approach to investing is often the most effective strategy
Kick off your career at the Bar Council’s Pupillage Fair this October – it’s one of the most valuable opportunities for aspiring barristers, says Amelia Clegg
Join us on Saturday 21 November 2026 at Leeds Beckett University and see for yourself why the North continues to be an exceptional place to build a career at the Bar
The golden age of advocacy? David Langwallner pays homage to the filmic if contentious barrister Sir Edward Carson and some of his contemporaries
Henry Fingerhut outlines what the Bar Standards Board AI guidance means for early career barristers
Not yet, says Jacob Turner. Regulation, unlike the technology itself, is a domain the legal profession can still control
