Professor Dame Hazel Genn, Dean of the Faculty of Laws at University College London (UCL), provides an overview of UCL's two-day course aimed at increasing understanding of what it means to be a judge.
The UCL Judicial Institute is the only institution that provides a unique two-day course offering practitioners the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of what it means to be a judge. 'Understanding Judging: Roles, Skills and Challenges' is intended for practitioners who currently do not hold a judicial post, but who may be interested in taking on a salaried judicial appointment in the courts and tribunals in the future. The course was launched in November 2011. The most recent course took place in April 2013 and the Institute plans to run the next course in early 2014.
The course is open to all solicitors, barristers, CILEx members, employed lawyers and legal academics. Individuals taking the course gain an understanding of the range of judicial roles which can be applied for, the general qualities needed to be a judge, and the differences and challenges faced from moving from legal practice into a judicial post.
This course was designed to implement a key recommendation (number 16) of the Neuberger Advisory Panel on Judicial Diversity, which states: 'Developing judicial skills courses should be developed to help aspiring judicial candidates understand and develop the skills they need for judicial appointment.' The Neuberger Panel felt such a course should provide a means of self-assessment for those considering whether or not they have the skills required to be an effective judge, and build confidence among those who may have the skills, but less court experience.
The UCL Judicial Institute course does not help participants fill in an application form for a judicial appointment or provide practice examinations. Instead, the course's objectives are to allow potential candidates for judicial office to:
- learn more about the requirements of the judicial role;
- practice some necessary judicial skills;
- decide whether judging is right for them; and
- form a better idea of the most appropriate judicial post for them.
The Institute has also established an Increasing Diversity Bursary Scheme in which a minimum of 25 per cent of course participants who (1) would have difficulty paying the course fee and (2) meet the bursary's diversity criteria will have their full course fees covered. The Law Society was the first to help fund the Bursary Scheme, supporting two bursaries for solicitors in 2011 and again in 2013, when the Ministry of Justice and CILEx also sponsored bursaries.
The single largest group of participants has been solicitors, and feedback from all participants has been very positive, with two thirds saying the course exceeded their expectations, a third saying it fulfilled expectations and none saying it did not meet their expectations.
The course was featured in an article in the Guardian.
Download a brochure outlining further details about the course