Lord Chancellor's Advisory Panel on Judicial Diversity Starts Work
The Lord Chancellor Jack Straw announced today he had set up an Advisory Panel chaired by Baroness Neuberger with the following terms of reference:
Date: 28 April 2009
To identify the barriers to progress on judicial diversity and to make recommendations to the Lord Chancellor on how to make speedier and sustained progress to a more diverse judiciary at every level an in all courts in England and Wales.
The Judicial Appointments Commission said:
"It is important that the Lord Chancellor has established this panel. We have always said that open competition to encourage diversity will be helped by the professions becoming more diverse, by allowing more part-time working, and by removing barriers such as a requirement that candidates for salaried posts should normally have worked first in a fee paid capacity.
"We very much hope that the panel's recommendations will help the Judiciary to change faster."
In June the JAC will publish research commissioned from the British Market Research Bureau to find out from a representative sample of solicitors and barristers what attracts them to - or deters them from - applying to be a judge.
The other panel members are: Lord Justice Goldring, Professor Dame Hazel Genn, Andrew Holroyd CBE, Winston Hunter QC and Dr Nicola Brewer. Professor Dame Hazel Genn is not on the panel in her capacity as a JAC Commissioner.
The panel is asked to report back to the Lord Chancellor by November 2009.