New research finds judicial appointment is becoming more appealing to candidates

Research undertaken jointly by the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC), the Law Society, the Bar Council and the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) has found that members perceive nearly all aspects of judicial office as increasingly appealing.

The survey, carried out in February 2013, was sent to solicitors, barristers and chartered legal executives who were eligible for judicial roles. Chartered legal executive fellows were granted eligibility to apply for some judicial appointments in 2008. The minimum entry requirement for any judicial office requiring a legal background is five years post-qualification experience.

The findings were compared to the JAC's research on the same subject in 2008. 87% of the sample agreed that judicial work would be enjoyable - compared to 74% in 2008. The most attractive elements of a judicial career include the work being interesting (97%), making a difference to the law (93%) and undertaking public service (89%).

Other notable findings from the survey include the following:

• 46% of respondents considered applying for a judicial appointment (a significant increase on the 32% reported in 2008).
• A greater proportion of respondents (43%) see being a judge as part of their career path: 43% compared to 28% in 2008.
• The most unappealing elements were found to be the isolated nature of the role, the reduction in earnings and judicial establishment/culture (seen as unappealing by 40% overall and by 21% of BAME respondents)

Maura McGowan QC, Chairman of the Bar Council, said: "The information presented in the report shows that more practitioners than ever are considering a judicial career and this is to be encouraged. The report does, however, highlight the concerns of some areas of the Bar, which we will continue to address."

The full report on 'Barriers to Application to Judicial Appointment' is available online.