Judicial appointments and silk
Silk
A limited number of senior barristers are made Queen's Counsel
as a mark of outstanding ability. Most senior judges once practised
as QCs.
The process for the award of Queen's Counsel was agreed between
the Bar Council and the Law Society and approved by the Lord
Chancellor and Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs (Lord
Falconer) in 2004. The Selection Panel carried out an initial
competition under the new arrangements in 2005-06 and now conducts
competitions on an annual basis. For further information about
application and selection for Queen's Counsel see the QC Appointments
website.
Please
click here for some myths about the QC Selection system, and here for FAQs
for applicants.
Judicial Appointments
The Judicial Appointments Commission was launched in the spring
2006.
The Lord Chancellor, the Lord Chief Justice and the Chairman of
the Judicial Appointments Commission are committed to ensuring a
judiciary of the highest calibre, with candidates drawn from the
full range of available talent.
The Bar Council is committed to working with the Judicial
Appointments Commission to achieve its aims. The Chairman of
the Bar is a member of the Judicial Appointments Commission's High
Level Policy group and the Bar Council is represented on the
Diversity Forum by Kim Hollis QC and Julian Picton QC.
All details of the Judicial Appointments Commission's selection
exercises, consultations and other information such as the
competency framework, eligibility criteria and good character
guidance can be found on the Judicial Appointments Commission
website (please click here).
Judicial careers
Click here to
download the Ministry of Justice booklet called 'Step Up to a
Judicial Career'.
Outreach Events
Information on outreach events can be found on the JAC
website. The Bar Council also holds events to encourage more
women and ethnic minority barristers to apply to become
Recorders.
JAC Newsletter
Judging Your Future is the JAC e-newspaper. It contains news
about current and forthcoming selection exercises. It also includes
information about the judicial appointments and latest
developments. You can download the newsletter by clicking here.
Work-Shadowing
The Directorate of the Judicial Office is responsible for the
administration of the work-shadowing scheme. Please click
here for more information.
Circuit Diversity Mentors
At the request of the Chairman of the Bar each Circuit has
appointed a Diversity Mentor as the first point of contact for
barristers interested in applying for a judicial appointment or
Silk. The role of the Diversity Mentor is to encourage suitably
qualified members of Circuit to apply for a judicial appointment or
Silk and to provide them with all the necessary information. The
Diversity Mentors are South East Circuit: Kaly Kaur QC ,
Martin Forde QC, Midlands Circuit: Nirmal Shant QC, Satinder Hunjan
QC, Western Circuit: Rachel Spearing, Wales and Chester Circuit:
Ruth Henke QC, North Eastern Circuit: Bryan Cox QC and
Northern Circuit: Nicholas Clarke QC. Please contact Pamela Bhalla, Equality
and Diversity Advisor at the Bar Council, for more information.