*/
Women made up almost half of those recommended for appointment to the Bench last year, but fewer than 10% came from an ethnic minority background, statistics from the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) revealed.
Of the 308 recommendations made between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2016, 140 (45%) were women and only 28 (9%) declared themselves to be from an ethnic minority, while nine (3%) said they had a disability.
Of the of 21 recommendations made for senior posts – above the level of the High Court – only four (19%) were women.
Looking at the recommendations for Recorders – the first rung on the ladder to a full-time judicial career – the Bar Council calculated that white applicants were three times more likely to succeed than candidates from a minority ethnic group.
Sam Mercer, head of equality and diversity at the Bar Council, said: ‘At every stage of the process, BAME [black and minority ethnic] applicants did less well than their white colleagues.
‘If you are a white lawyer applying to become a Recorder you have a one in 10 chance of success. If you belong to a minority ethnic group, that drops to one in 33.’
Mercer said: ‘This inequality is unacceptable. We urgently need to work in partnership with organisations across the legal sector, and with government, to find out why this distortion is occurring and take immediate measures for correction.’
She added: ‘Those appointed as Recorders make up the pool from which the ranks of the senior judiciary are drawn. Lack of diversity at this level has huge implications for the ethnic make-up of our most influential and respected tier of public servants.’
Mercer also noted that since 2012, there have been no BAME applications or appointments at all to the Court of Appeal and there are still no BAME judges in the Supreme Court.
The JAC statistics revealed that the equal merit provision, which has been available for all exercises since July 2015, was used in 14 instances during the reporting period.
The provision means that, in a selection exercise where there are two or more candidates of equal merit, a candidate may be selected for a post for the purpose of increasing judicial diversity.
Women made up almost half of those recommended for appointment to the Bench last year, but fewer than 10% came from an ethnic minority background, statistics from the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) revealed.
Of the 308 recommendations made between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2016, 140 (45%) were women and only 28 (9%) declared themselves to be from an ethnic minority, while nine (3%) said they had a disability.
Of the of 21 recommendations made for senior posts – above the level of the High Court – only four (19%) were women.
Looking at the recommendations for Recorders – the first rung on the ladder to a full-time judicial career – the Bar Council calculated that white applicants were three times more likely to succeed than candidates from a minority ethnic group.
Sam Mercer, head of equality and diversity at the Bar Council, said: ‘At every stage of the process, BAME [black and minority ethnic] applicants did less well than their white colleagues.
‘If you are a white lawyer applying to become a Recorder you have a one in 10 chance of success. If you belong to a minority ethnic group, that drops to one in 33.’
Mercer said: ‘This inequality is unacceptable. We urgently need to work in partnership with organisations across the legal sector, and with government, to find out why this distortion is occurring and take immediate measures for correction.’
She added: ‘Those appointed as Recorders make up the pool from which the ranks of the senior judiciary are drawn. Lack of diversity at this level has huge implications for the ethnic make-up of our most influential and respected tier of public servants.’
Mercer also noted that since 2012, there have been no BAME applications or appointments at all to the Court of Appeal and there are still no BAME judges in the Supreme Court.
The JAC statistics revealed that the equal merit provision, which has been available for all exercises since July 2015, was used in 14 instances during the reporting period.
The provision means that, in a selection exercise where there are two or more candidates of equal merit, a candidate may be selected for a post for the purpose of increasing judicial diversity.
Sam Townend KC explains the Bar Council’s efforts towards ensuring a bright future for the profession
Giovanni D’Avola explores the issue of over-citation of unreported cases and the ‘added value’ elements of a law report
Louise Crush explores the key points and opportunities for tax efficiency
Westgate Wealth Management Ltd is a Partner Practice of FTSE 100 company St. James’s Place – one of the top UK Wealth Management firms. We offer a holistic service of distinct quality, integrity, and excellence with the aim to build a professional and valuable relationship with our clients, helping to provide them with security now, prosperity in the future and the highest standard of service in all of our dealings.
Is now the time to review your financial position, having reached a career milestone? asks Louise Crush
If you were to host a dinner party with 10 guests, and you asked them to explain what financial planning is and how it differs to financial advice, you’d receive 10 different answers. The variety of answers highlights the ongoing need to clarify and promote the value of financial planning.
Most of us like to think we would risk our career in order to meet our ethical obligations, so why have so many lawyers failed to hold the line? asks Flora Page
If your current practice environment is bringing you down, seek a new one. However daunting the change, it will be worth it, says Anon Barrister
Creating advocacy opportunities for juniors is now the expectation but not always easy to put into effect. Tom Mitcheson KC distils developing best practice from the Patents Court initiative already bearing fruit
National courts are now running the bulk of the world’s war crimes cases and corporate prosecutions are part of this growing trend, reports Chris Stephen
Let’s hear it for the assessors, says Dame Anne Rafferty of the KC Selection Panel. And to make silk assessors’ lives a little easier when applicants come calling in May, Dame Anne fields some commonly asked questions