News feature
Education programme to equip CILEx members for future judicial roles
A specialised education programme, to be launched next year, will give CILEx members online training in how to be a better judge.
The Pre-Application Judicial Education (PAJE) programme, funded by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) delivered by judges and administered by the professions, will consist of openly available courses on judgecraft and judicial skills.
The online training will be supplemented by face-to-face discussion groups targeted at lawyers who are currently underrepresented in the judiciary, ie: women, those from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, individuals with disabilities and those from a non-barrister professional background (including solicitors and Chartered Legal Executives).
The PAJE programme is a joint initiative from the Judicial Diversity Forum (JDF), which is made up of the MoJ, the judiciary, the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC), the Bar Council, the Law Society and CILEx.
Immediate CILEx past-president Millicent Grant, who sat on the steering group for the programme, said: ‘I am delighted PAJE will go live next year. As a profession that trains judges of the future, we take seriously our role in equipping our members with the right skills ahead of appointment. We have been piloting our own Judicial Development Programme this year ahead of its wider launch, and PAJE will provide yet more opportunities for members with judicial aspirations. I want to acknowledge the efforts of all those who have worked on developing PAJE so far, and I look forward to seeing Chartered Legal Executives take full advantage of the opportunity it will present.’
David Gauke, the justice secretary and Lord Chancellor, said: ‘Becoming a judge is a crucial form of public service at the very heart of our society. From my time as a solicitor I know there are excellent candidates from right across the legal profession, and we want to make it easier for people from all backgrounds to aspire to these roles. We have seen improvement in diversity in recent years, and it is clear that widening the talent pool from which judges are drawn can only make our world-renowned justice system even stronger.’
Lord Burnett, the Lord Chief Justice, said: ‘I am committed to working to further improve judicial diversity. This programme of work is an important opportunity to offer practical assistance to underrepresented groups. I hope that this scheme, which the judiciary and particularly the Judicial College is taking a leading role in devising and delivering, will widen the pool of applicants to ensure that the best candidates, from a wide range of backgrounds, apply for judicial posts.’
Lord Kakkar, chair of the JAC and the JDF, said: ‘The commission warmly welcomes this initiative which will give candidates from the widest range of backgrounds the opportunity to better understand, prepare and develop themselves for a future judicial role. We look forward to reporting on its impact in future years and hope that it will encourage talented candidates from under-represented groups to consider applying for judicial appointment at the right stage in their career.’