Case study: Sarah Jane Lynch

Sarah Jane Lynch is a recorder on the North Eastern Circuit specialising in family law

Like many solicitors, I thought that solicitors became deputy district judges and barristers became recorders, so I was quite nervous about applying for recordership in 2008.

It was not the selection process that was worrying me, although I cannot pretend that was easy. Rather, it was what my colleague would think. It seemed presumptuous to think I might be able to become a recorder.
But in my day job as a solicitor, I was not as stretched as I used to be and I had got to that point in my career when I wanted a different challenge.

I saw an advert in the Gazette for the recorder positions, for the first time with a family law-only option. I also saw a poster in the advocates' room at court for a Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) outreach event, which I went along to. From these I felt encouraged to apply.

At that time I was a salaried partner. The only person I told about my judicial application was my head of department and I asked for it not to go any further. I then moved jobs and told my new firm, Howells, I was going through the selection process which turned out not to be a problem. They recognised that I would be bringing something extra to the job and gaining experience I could share with my colleagues. Judicial roles also provide a way of keeping people at a more senior level engaged when equity partnership is not necessarily an option.
The selection process first involved an application form on which with hindsight I should have spent more time. The idea behind the application form is to enable you to show how your experience relates to the required competencies. They are looking for real examples from your own caseload and they will come up again in the interview if you get through to the selection day.

The next stage was a qualifying test and I was somewhat unnerved when I realised that the test was going to be in a jurisdiction I was unfamiliar with - there was one quasi-criminal part and another quasi-civil element. I later understood that the JAC is looking for court skills, not skills specific to your jurisdiction - it is more about how you manage the court, time management and reaching decisions. And the people at my exam were from very varied backgrounds - one was a solicitor working in conveyancing, while others had corporate backgrounds.

On the selection day, I took part in two role plays, where you take the role of a judge in a pretend courtroom. There was also an interview. Again preparation is worthwhile, thinking about the key areas of interest and development at that time in the jurisdiction for which you are applying.

Although I do a fair amount of my own advocacy, I do not think this experience is necessary to be selected as a recorder. It probably does help though to be familiar with the courtroom. And the training once you are appointed is very good. You should then go out with as much confidence as you need to hear a case.

Juggling the day job with being a recorder is challenging. As a recorder you tend to sit in blocks of time of at least a week. I do need support from the office when I am sitting, but thanks to the joys of technology I can keep up to date by dealing with my emails at the end of the day. My sitting days are also often booked far ahead, so it is possible to work out when will work best and avoid clashes with people's holiday. I love the mix of my two jobs and the skills from one area invariably help me in the other.

I do not know other solicitor recorders in my area, but one of the local family circuit judges came from the firm I am now at. My barrister judicial colleagues are no different to me - I've dealt with them many times in practice and I can find myself on the other side as an advocate one day and then appearing before one. You get the odd comment showing surprise that you have taken a post which might be seen as one of 'their' jobs, but a good solicitor is just as capable of being a recorder as a good barrister. And now the appointments are made on merit, you know that if you get through it is because you are as capable as anyone else of doing the role. Judges also assume you must be a barrister and always ask what chambers you are at, but when you say you are a solicitor, they are very supportive.

So all I can say is it is well worth trying to become a recorder. Don't think you are not good enough and you are not the right person. Apply and let the JAC decide if you are ready.

Sarah Jane Lynch is a solicitor of 22 years' experience, now working for Howells in Yorkshire and specialising in child care law. She also holds higher rights of audience.