Diversity in judiciary stagnates, with Black judges still underrepresented, reports MoJ
updated on 08 July 2025
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The Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) 2025 diversity of the judiciary report revealed that progress on improving diversity has been mixed. While findings showed that the number of judges from ethnic minority backgrounds gradually increased from 2015, the proportion of Black judges showed no improvement.
Since 2015, the proportion of ethnic minority representation across the legal profession has increased, with representation among:
- barristers rising from 14% to 17%;
- solicitors increasing from 15% to 19%;
- chartered legal executives moving from 5% to 12%; and
- judges growing from 7% to 12%.
In addition, female representation at the judiciary became stronger, with female candidates representing 49% of the eligible pool and 52% of recommendations in legal judicial selection exercises. However, the number of Black judges remained at 1% of all judges.
According to the MoJ’s report: “Black representation among applicants was higher than it was in the eligible pool, but representation dropped subsequently at the shortlisting and recommendation for appointment stages.”
Black candidates experienced lower progression rates than their white counterparts at all stages. However, recommendation rates were similar from the shortlist for both groups.
Responding to the publication, chair of the Bar Council, Barbara Mills KC, said: “Every year we are told that there is gradual progress being made towards a more diverse judiciary, but it’s far too slow for Black lawyers and this is no longer good enough.”
At the launch of the UK Association of Black Judges, Mills stated: “To me it is important that we as Black judges show up in a system that doesn't always feel like it shows up for us, to ask hard questions and be part of a respectful solutions-driven conversation.”
The Law Society President Richard Atkinson stated: “Minority ethnic candidates are disproportionately ruled out at every stage of the appointments process.”
He also added: “Solicitors are continuing to achieve appointments as judges at disproportionately low rates compared with barristers and the numbers are falling. Our concerns remain that until this percentage significantly increases, we will struggle to persuade our members that entry to the judiciary is a level playing field.”
