Tribunal Judge James Bowen – Judge of the First-tier Tribunal, Immigration and Asylum Chamber

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“I genuinely never underestimate how daunting it must be for an individual, whether represented or not, to come to a Court or Tribunal Centre in order to have a third party that they have never met make a decision which will potentially have a lasting impact on their life (and often in the jurisdictions in which I sit, the lives of their families). I see the position I play in that process as a privilege.”

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Background

I grew up in Cardiff and went to the local comprehensive school, before studying law at university. After returning to Wales for my LPC, I trained in a large regional firm in Bristol and went on to specialise in civil litigation. Predominantly, I split my time between personal injury, including clients who had been catastrophically injured, and professional negligence/regulatory work involving claims against solicitors.

I had not held any aspirations to become a judge in the early years of my career. As a solicitor who was used to working in vibrant, sociable and often noisy open plan offices, I had formed the mistaken view that a judicial career would potentially be isolative.  However, whilst working in a management role within an insurer-owned alternative business structure, I increasingly found myself doing less substantive, client-facing legal work and more and more management related duties. I soon formed the view that a fee-paid judicial appointment would potentially provide me with just the intellectual challenge I felt I needed at that time!

Application

I undertook the Judicial Work Shadowing Scheme, which was a hugely beneficial experience. It also allayed any residual fears or misconceptions I had about the role. I  applied for my first judicial role in 2019 and was successfully appointed to become a fee-paid judge in the Health, Education and Social Care Chamber (Mental Health). I went on to be appointed to the Mental Health Tribunal for Wales in 2021 and as a Deputy District Judge in 2022, before being appointed as a Salaried Judge in the Immigration and Asylum Chamber, taking up a post in Newport in June 2024.

In amongst my successful appointments, I did have JAC exercises in which I was unsuccessful. Having experienced both success and failure, I can certainly say that the selection process is certainly not easy, but it is fair and transparent. Preparation is key. You must devote substantial time to the process, but there is a wealth of information to help you understand where to concentrate your efforts.

The information on the JAC website is essential reading and gives helpful tips on how to approach every stage of the process. Remember that the worked examples of both ‘outstanding’ and ‘insufficient’ competencies are just as relevant to how to approach your interview at an assessment day, as they are to the completion of your online application. If you are unsuccessful at an assessment day, do request feedback as it will give you valuable insight into how your answers were assessed by the panel.

Having sat in jurisdictions in which I had no previous experience, I would certainly say that you should not be put off applying for a role where you may not have direct firsthand experience. I really have come to appreciate how transferrable my skillset is. Whilst an element of “imposter syndrome” is likely inevitable in the early days of anyone’s judicial career, this serves to demonstrate why the JAC process focuses on the competencies, rather than legal technical knowledge per se.

The role

The level and content of the induction and continuation training I have received throughout my judicial career is hugely impressive. This has been particularly true in the Immigration and Asylum Chamber, where I would say that the training and resources available to new appointees is genuinely unsurpassed. There is an effective mentoring scheme for all new appointees and substantial time and effort is also invested in ensuring that all judges are kept up to date in what can be a rapidly developing jurisdiction. The open-door policy, collegiality and support that I have experienced in my Tribunal centre since my appointment last year has been nothing short of incredible. I know from speaking to colleagues, both salaried and fee-paid, that this is replicated across the Tribunal centres in the Chamber.

I genuinely never underestimate how daunting it must be for an individual, whether represented or not, to come to a Court or Tribunal Centre in order to have a third party that they have never met make a decision which will potentially have a lasting impact on their life (and often in the jurisdictions in which I sit, the lives of their families). I see the position I play in that process as a privilege. It continues to inform my desire to communicate clearly, treat people fairly, to account for their vulnerabilities and to put them at ease, to ensure that all are able to give their evidence effectively and feel heard, and to assist in reaching a fair and reasoned decision.  The work can of course be challenging, and hearings can be emotionally charged, but the importance of the work that we do is never lost on me.

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