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

New team will lead on targeted diversity initiatives

The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) has set up a new team within the organisation to lead three initiatives specifically responding to the need to improve judicial diversity. All three initiatives have been designed to work quickly and are running in addition to our ongoing diversity and outreach programme. We are now inviting potential candidates to take part in our first initiative – running a pilot programme of targeted outreach and search.

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Welcome to our new website

We have launched our new website!

As part of building the new website, we asked current, previous and potential candidates for feedback and undertook user research. We fed all these findings into the new website and have been able to build a site that prioritises the information candidates have told us that they are looking for and is easier to navigate.

We are continuing to develop the site over the coming months, so if you have any feedback please do let us know Send us feedback on our new website

Image credit: Image by Bartek Zakrzewski from Pixabay 

An insight into diversity in the judiciary

A new combined statistical report gives insight into diversity in the judiciary

On Thursday, September 17, 2020 the Judicial Diversity Forum (JDF), chaired by the Judicial Appointments Commission, has published combined statistics which report on diversity in the judiciary.

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