News feature
Dedicated JAC Commissioner appointed for CILEx
District Judge Mathu Asokan has just become the dedicated Judicial Appointments Commission commissioner for Chartered Legal Executives.
District Judge Mathu Asokan has become the dedicated Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) commissioner for CILEx. District Judge Asokan was appointed as a district judge in 2002, and became a JAC judicial commissioner on 1 September 2017. She sits fulltime at Birmingham Civil Justice Centre, and deals with children and Court of Protection cases.
Her roles have included Diversity and Community Relations Judge for the West Midlands area, and Family and Children Tutor Judge for the Judicial College. She is also a committee member of the UK Association of Women Judges. District Judge Asokan started her career as a solicitor and was appointed a deputy district judge in 1999.
District Judge Asokan hopes to work directly with CILEx, as part of her commissioner role at the JAC, to support its members in understanding - and preparing for - the selection process, informing them about what the day-to-day judicial role involves, and encouraging them to apply. She will also be happy to represent the JAC at CILEx outreach events, write for CILEx Journal, and contribute to the continued success of the CILEx Judicial Development Programme.
She said: 'I am delighted to have joined the commission, taking over from Christopher Simmonds as the CILEx member of the Board. Like Christopher, I am committed to playing a part to ensure that talented individuals from CILEx are properly encouraged and supported to apply for judicial posts through the Judicial Development Programme.'