Diversity & the Judiciary, Birmingham – 27.04.18

Although slow and steady progress has been made in recent years, only 7% of judges in the UK are from a BAME background. In order to address this under representation and following the success of a similar event in London in London 2017, SAL hosted an event in Birmingham to seek to inspire its members to think about a career in the judiciary.

However, what is diversity and why is it important? We at SAL believe that a diverse judiciary is one that reflects the society we live in. A House of Lords Committee in 2012 stated:
“A more diverse judiciary would increase public trust and confidence in the judiciary. A more diverse judiciary can bring different perspectives to bear on the development of the law and to the concept of justice itself.”

The event was well attended and we were very fortunate to have an esteemed panel of speakers consisting of:

  • Fiona Monk, JAC Commissioner
  • Shakil Najib – Recorder & Deputy Judge of the Upper Tribunal
  • Aseia Rafique & Sian Hughes – Solicitors Regulation Authority
  • Abid Mahmood – Recorder & Deputy Judge of the Upper Tribunal

The judges shared stories of why and how they became judges including some valuable tips for the selection process. Fiona Monk gave an insight into the application process.

Some of the tips from the panel included:

  • Keep a regular look on the JAC website for vacancies
  • Think about the type of judicial role you want to apply for
  • Start building a portfolio of notable cases you have worked on
  • Take time in preparing your application
  • Shadow a judge
  • Be resilient (lots of very successful judges did not get through the process the first time)

Many thanks to the SRA for hosting the event and for everybody attending.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *