Judicial Appointments Commission

The Judicial Appointments Commission selects candidates for judicial office in England and Wales, and for some tribunals with UK-wide powers.

It is our statutory duty to select people on merit, who are of good character. We believe the judiciary should reflect the society it serves and we aim to attract diverse applicants from a wide field. We work closely with a range of organisations to promote vacancies to all those who are eligible.

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Announcements

Mr Justice Adam Johnson appointed as a Commissioner of the Judicial Appointments Commission

25 October 2022

The Lord Chancellor has announced the appointment of Mr Justice Adam Johnson as a Commissioner of the Judicial Appointments Commission, following selection by the Judges’ Council.

The appointment of Mr Justice Adam Johnson is for a three-year term commencing 1 October 2022 with the possibility, subject to the provisions of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, of renewal for a total period not exceeding 10 years.

The Honourable Mr Justice Adam Johnson, who has been a High Court judge – assigned to the Chancery Division – since 2020, was admitted as a solicitor in 1990 and took Silk in 2017. He was appointed as a Deputy High Court Judge in 2018.

Read the full announcement here.

International research shines a light on judicial diversity progress across the globe

17 October 2022

The JAC has today published a report following an international research project.

The project, run by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and commissioned in May 2021, looks into measures used by other common law jurisdictions to improve judicial diversity, in order to better understand if any of these could be successful in England and Wales.

Read more

JAC launches new Practice Qualifying Test

person using MacBook pro

6 September 2022

The JAC has launched a Practice Qualifying Test (PQT) to enable those applying for judicial roles to better prepare themselves for the appointment process. The PQT mirrors the format of the online qualifying tests which are used as a shortlisting tool in some JAC exercises.

We want to encourage applications from the widest range of high calibre candidates, to support greater judicial diversity, and this practice tool is designed to assist anyone thinking of applying for a judicial role.

Read more

 

 

The Board of Commissioners

The Commission

Members come from a wide background to ensure the Commission has a breadth of knowledge, expertise and independence.

The Chairman of the Commission is a lay member. 

Of the 14 other Commissioners:

  • 6 must be judicial members (including 2 tribunal judges)
  • 2 must be professional members (each of which must hold a qualification listed below but must not hold the same qualification as each other)
  • 5 must be lay members
  • 1 must be a non-legally qualified judicial member

The legal qualifications are:

  • Barrister in England and Wales
  • Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales
  • Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives

Appointment of Commissioners

Professor Lord Ajay Kakkar

Chairman

Lay Commissioner

Lord Kakkar was appointed JAC Chairman on 3 October 2016. He was reappointed for a further 3 years from 2 October 2019.

He is Professor of Surgery, University College London, Chairman of University College London Partners Academic Health Science Partnership and Director of the Thrombosis Research Institute, London.

Lord Kakkar was created a Life Peer in 2010 and sits on the cross benches of the House of Lords. He served as Chairman of the House of Lords Appointments Commission from 2013 to 2018, and was appointed a member of the Privy Council in December 2014.

Reappointment of Chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission