It may be the 21st century, but too many women solicitors still lack the confidence to apply to join the Bench. However, help is at hand. The Association of Women Solicitors is actively campaigning to encourage women to apply for judicial and public appointments.
The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) will soon be looking for 193 deputy district judges across England and Wales. To assist candidates in deciding whether to apply, the AWS will be holding seminars later this year and into the new year to give advice and guidance (see www.judicialappointments.gov.uk/application-process/16.htm and www.womensolicitors.org.uk/campaigns.asp for more details).
Many women feel that if they lack advocacy experience they may be at a disadvantage. However, the JAC has made it clear that judicial office requires a range of qualities and abilities. Another problem is that most judicial appointments will require a minimum of five to seven years post-qualification experience and although women account for more than one half of new entrants to the profession, the number of women solicitors with practising certificates over 40 drops significantly. The pool of applicants with sufficient experience to apply is therefore substantially reduced.
However, the past few years have certainly seen an increase in women appointed to the Bench - they now make up 28 per cent of deputy district judges and 20 per cent of circuit judges. Five of the 22 High Court judges recently recommended for appointment by the JAC are women, which will raise their number to 17, the highest ever.
To assist candidates in deciding whether to apply, the AWS will be holding a series of seminars in conjunction with the JAC. The seminar, Is the Judiciary for Me? will be a hands-on introduction to the judiciary and how to make an application for appointment. A JAC commissioner will discuss the variety of roles available including appointments in courts and tribunals and part-time sitting.
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She will also describe the qualities and abilities that the selection panel will be looking for and discuss completing the application form, who to put down as referees, the use of qualifying tests and what happens on the final selection day.
People will also hear first hand from a JAC selection manager and the views of a previous candidate who was successful in her application to the bench.
“I cannot stress enough the importance of ensuring that women solicitors with the right skills and aptitude are encouraged to apply for a judicial post,” says Dr Clare McConnell, the chairwoman of the Association of Women Solicitors. “We hope our campaign will successfully counteract the continuing misapprehension on the part of women solicitors that they lack the skills and expertise to make successful applications for judicial appointments.”
The author is honorary secretary of the Association of Women Solicitors and a partner at Alan Edwards & Co in London