Judicial Appointments Commission

Becoming a judge: my role and how you prepare for application

Mathu Asokan has been the dedicated Commissioner for Chartered Legal Executives at the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) since 2018.

About the author: District Judge Mathu Asokan was appointed to the JAC as a judicial member in September 2017. She sits full-time 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 was a committee member of the UK Association of Women Judges until November 2018.Becoming a judge is a unique and fascinating opportunity to make a real difference at the heart of the justice system. As a JAC Commissioner with responsibility for leading engagement with CILEx, I am committed to ensuring that talented judges are appointed from the widest range of professional backgrounds. There are a number of different judicial roles in the courts and tribunals that CILEx members are eligible to apply for, and I was delighted to meet recently with CILEx President Matthew Foster (pictured opposite) to discuss how our organisations can work together and how potential candidates can be supported.

My professional background and current work

I became a judge in 2002, and currently work in the Birmingham Civil and Family Justice Centre: one of the largest court centres in our country. I deal solely with cases involving children. Most of my cases concern children living in dangerous and abusive family situations, and I see every day how the decisions made by a judge affect the lives of people who come to court. Being a judge carries a huge and crucial responsibility.

What the JAC does

The JAC is an independent statutory body that selects candidates for judicial oÿce in courts and tribunals in England and Wales, and for some tribunals with UK-wide jurisdiction. Candidates are selected on merit, through fair and open competition.’

In the present socio-economic landscape, people have more varied access to courts either as litigants in person or through their legal team. There has been a tremendous increase in the number of cases issued, and court lists are very full and busy.

Likewise, it has been a busy year at the JAC; during 2018/19, we considered almost 5,000 applications and made over 1,000 recommendations for appointment. We are beginning to see an increase in applications from CILEx members, but I would really like to see even more talented Chartered Legal Executives giving serious consideration to a judicial post.

As a statutory body, the JAC is fiercely committed to being fair, objective and robust in its approach. A recent independent review of JAC procedures, undertaken by the Work Psychology Group in 2018, found that the JAC is following best-practice approaches in its shortlisting processes. This includes rigorous equality measures throughout the development of our test materials to ensure that no candidate is unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged as a result of their professional background or other characteristics.

Importantly, CILEx is represented on our Advisory Group: a group of judges and legal professionals who review all JAC selection materials before they are used. The JAC also chairs the Judicial Diversity Forum, which brings together leaders from organisations from across the legal sector, including Matthew Foster, to identify and implement ways of improving judicial diversity.

The CILEx Judicial Development programme

To achieve greater diversity, we need to attract candidates with the right skills and experience, but this does not always mean advocacy panel or courtroom experience. I have been particularly pleased to see efforts made by CILEx in encouraging its members to apply for judicial appointments and supporting them through the CILEx Judicial Development scheme. I would encourage any CILEx member who is thinking about applying to look at this scheme.

Making an application to the JAC

It may also be helpful to reiterate some well-established and useful guidelines about making an application to the JAC. The following is not an exhaustive list, but I hope it will be of help. It is vital to consider the details of the role being applied for and what it requires: when you are applying, the importance of ‘doing your homework’ and preparing well cannot be overemphasised.

You will need to demonstrate your ability to undertake the role: JAC selection panels are trained to identify transferable skills, but you will need to think carefully about how you select your strongest examples. Other ways of preparing include the following:

Going onto the JAC website Look at the ‘Before you apply’ section, where you can study the competency frameworks and get tips on preparing your application. (www.judicialappointments.gov.uk)
Taking any of the ‘Am I ready’ tests You can test yourself on eligibility, good character and suitability. These tests contain situational questions similar to those you may find in a JAC qualifying test. (https://www.judicialappointments.gov.uk/am-i-ready-tools)
Signing up to be a mock candidate to ‘dry-run’ selection material before it goes live (https://tinyurl.com/r6vxzuu) This can include taking a qualifying test, doing a role play, or answering situational questions. All these activities are done in test conditions which will, no doubt, prepare you for the real thing. Please note though, that mock candidates are not permitted to apply for or already be involved in the competition they are dry running.
Taking part in the Pre-Application Judicial Education Programme (https://tinyurl.com/qpcf7qv) The programme seeks to provide participants from underrepresented groups with in-depth education and training on all aspects of judgecraft. The programme consists of: (i) online training videos and modules; and (ii) judge-led discussion groups to help applicants develop the skills and competencies needed.

A last piece of advice

Do not be disheartened if you are not successful at first application. Seek feedback, where possible, and think hard about how you can better demonstrate your relevant skills and experience, especially now you have greater understanding of the process. I wish you good luck in your efforts, and I look forward to working with CILEx through 2020 and beyond.