If you’re thinking about becoming a judge, support is available to help you apply, develop any skills you might be missing, and prepare for the selection day process.
Find out if you’re eligible
The Judicial Appointment Commission (JAC) is the independent body that selects candidates for judicial roles in courts and tribunals.
Its ‘Am I ready?’ tests will help you assess whether you’re eligible for a judicial role and if that career would suit you.
Before you apply for a judicial appointment, you may want to:
- build on your judicial skills
- get support from existing solicitor judges
- shadow a judge
- take advantage of any programmes or schemes that are open to you
Follow the Judicial Pathway
The Judicial Pathway will guide your personal and professional development and help you demonstrate the competencies required for judicial roles.
It suggests activities to help you develop the competencies you’ll need, whatever stage of your career you’re at.
Use the Pathway to record your experiences and reflect on the lessons you’ve learned throughout your practising career. Use the best examples to show you meet the requirements.
Download the Judicial Pathway (PDF 66 KB)
Join the Solicitor Judges Division
Our Solicitor Judges Division supports solicitors who are interested in a judicial career by providing:
- events and training
- networking opportunities
- access to a community of solicitor judges and aspiring judges
Understanding the role of a judge
The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary has produced a series of 'day in the life of a judge' videos that will help you understand judicial office-holders’ working lives.
It has also published videos about career paths for:
Download our guide to understanding judicial roles (PDF 690 KB)
Pre-Application Judicial Education Programme
The Pre-Application Judicial Education Programme (PAJE) helps lawyers from under-represented groups who are interested in becoming a judge to feel more confident about applying.
It’s aimed at:
- black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) lawyers
- women lawyers
- lawyers with disabilities
- lawyers from a non-litigation background
You can view online resources and then apply to join a discussion group course led by a judge. The course looks at the skills and experience you’ll need to be a judge.
Work shadowing
The Judicial Office runs a work shadowing scheme. It’s open to legal professionals with seven years’ post-qualification experience who are thinking about applying for a judicial appointment in the next two years.
If you take part in the scheme, you’ll spend two days shadowing one of the following:
- a high court judge
- a district judge
- a circuit judge
- a tribunal judge
Find out more about the work shadowing scheme
The work shadowing scheme has been put on hold temporarily due to coronavirus restrictions, however an alternative remote scheme called 'Conversation with a Judge' was announced in December 2020.
Find out more about the Conversation with a Judge scheme
Observing court hearings
The JAC encourages candidates to:
- observe court hearings
- read the guidance on remote hearings in the Equal Treatment Bench Book
If you wish to observe a Cloud Video Platform (CVP) hearing, contact your local court or tribunal centre. Ask for confirmation of upcoming CVP hearings on the basis that you wish to join as a member of the public.
If the case is not private, the parties will be asked to consent for an observer to join the hearing.
HM Courts and Tribunal Service should give you access to the remote hearing details and PIN.
Find out more about joining a CVP hearing
Judicial Mentoring Scheme
This is aimed at boosting diversity. You can join it if you've taken part in the work shadowing scheme and meet one or more of the following criteria:
- you're a woman
- you come from a BAME background
- you attended state school
- you were the first in your family to go to university
Before you apply for a judicial role, you may need to develop certain skills or get more experience.
Courtroom experience
To get courtroom experience you can do pro bono work, such as:
- volunteer in witness support or become a trustee with the Citizens Advice Bureau
- volunteer in employment, housing and general litigation cases with the Mary Ward Centre
- represent clients in front of tribunals and learn more about a court environment with the Free Representation Unit
- get advocacy training and then put your skills into practice in front of tribunals through the Communities Empowerment Network
- work in courts helping vulnerable people through the Personal Support Unit
Decision-making panels
You can volunteer to join decision-making panels such as:
- school exclusion panels
- parking and traffic penalties
- police conduct appeals
- professional bodies’ professional conduct panels
Or you could get involved in decision-making forums, for example:
- residents' associations
- parish councils
- local authorities
Public speaking skills
You can develop your public speaking skills through organisations such as the English Speaking Union.
Our workshops, webinars and video can help you make a strong application.
Preparing your application
In this video, former Law Society president Lucy Scott Moncrieff, JAC selection exercise manager Carol Morgan and district judge Paul Middleton-Roy discuss:
- the range of judicial appointments available
- the selection process
- how to make a successful application
We run training workshops if you want to become a judge. They explain how to show that you meet the competency requirements for judicial roles. The workshops include:
- practical advice on how to complete the application form
- interview practice
Qualifying tests
Combined qualifying test
The Judicial Appointments Commission will not hold the combined qualifying test in 2021.
To get an idea of the type of questions and topics covered in assessments and qualifying tests, you may want to:
- volunteer as a mock candidate
- read JAC feedback and evaluation reports
- read material used for past critical analysis tests, such as Lord Neuberger’s opening remarks for the Singapore panel on judicial ethics (August 2016)
- get to know the Civil Procedure Rules and Equal Treatment Bench Book.
The selection day for judicial appointments involves an interview with two or three people, including a judge. For entry-level posts there will also be a role play exercise.
Watch our webinar on selection days in partnership with the JAC (available to members of our Solicitor Judges Division).
Role play exercises
This video shows a role play exercise you may need to do if you apply to be a judge. This example was used to assess candidates for the role of recorder sitting in the family jurisdiction.
You should read the accompanying notes before watching the video:
Practice direction (PDF 48 KB)
McKenzie Friends guidance (PDF 32 KB)
In this second role play video, two sitting judges assess the candidate’s performance against the qualities and abilities specified by the JAC.
Becoming a judge – find out more about the process
Third time lucky: applying for a judicial appointment – practical advice on persevering with applications
Case studies
Senior circuit judge Frances Kirkham
District judge Michael Walker CBE
District judge (magistrates’ court) Tan Ikram
Judicial recorder Heather Baucher
Webinars for solicitor judges
Watch a recording of the Judicial Office webinar on applying for the role of deputy district judge.
Members of our Solicitor Judges Division can view recordings of the following:
- solicitor judges and higher rights – an introduction for junior lawyers
- practical advice for aspiring solicitor judges
- judicial appointments – an option for in-house lawyers?
- preparing judicial applications: evidencing your competencies
- preparing for judicial applications and selection days
Next steps for solicitor judges
If you're a sitting solicitor judge applying for your next judicial role, email solicitorjudges@lawsociety.org.uk to request a recording of our webinar on next steps, created in collaboration with the Judicial Office and Judicial Appointments Commission.