Paul Singh: Salaried Employment Judge
“The role is easily the most rewarding thing I have done in my varied career. There is nothing that compares to being able to weigh up a case and provide a decision as to what the fair outcome should be.”
Background
I come from Doncaster, a former mining town in South Yorkshire. Both the town and the area I came from were classed as deprived areas as I was growing up. I went to a state school that still has quite a poor reputation. However, with the help of some very supportive teachers, I was able to achieve good enough A-Levels to become the first person in my family to attend university.
After getting my law degree, I struggled to get a training contract as I had no links in the legal world and had had to work to support myself throughout my degree, so hadn’t had time for vacation schemes. It took me 18 months, but I eventually found a paralegal role at a small high street firm in Sheffield. Within 9 months, I’d managed to secure a training contract and qualified into the Employment Law team. I worked for that firm doing Claimant work for 6 years, then moved around to a few different organisations, including a larger national firm, a local authority, and a trade union.
Application
I wanted to take on a judicial role after I had been in practice for about 10 years. One of my big motivations was that I had read statistics about the lack of diversity in the judiciary at that time. I have always followed the mantra “be the change that you want to see in the world”, and believed that if I wanted things to be different I had to be part of that change.
When I first applied for a judicial role, I got to the very last stage of the process but just missed out by not sufficiently demonstrating one of the competencies. That didn’t put me off though. Instead, it showed to me that I was ready and just needed to improve my application.
However, there was then a freeze on recruitment of Employment Judges due to the drop in cases that came with the introduction of Employment Tribunal fees, so it was almost 6 years before I could apply again. However, I think that gap helped, as when I applied a second time I felt I had begun approaching my work in a way that was more aligned with a judicial role. I became less focused on simply getting a “win” for my clients and instead looked at cases objectively and thinking about what the fairest outcome in that situation was.
Also, in that intervening period I had taken on some additional roles to strengthen my application and give me a broader range of skills. I was appointed a visiting lecturer at the University of Law and sat on school appeals panels. I was part of the Law Society Council, the Employment Lawyers Association management committee and, later on, sat as a panel member in Social Security Tribunal hearings. This gave me a much wider variety of experiences to draw from when putting my updated application together.
I also took part in the Judicial Shadowing scheme and the Law Society’s Pre-Application Judicial Experience schemes. I took advantage of everything I could to give me the best chance of being successful with my second application.
One thing I found about the process was how fair I felt it was throughout. There is that old perception that to become a judge you have to get a tap on the shoulder from someone else, and that it wasn’t what you knew but who you knew. However, I found the process was completely unlike that. It was clear from the start that the process was solely looking for the best candidates and that they didn’t care where you had come from.
I was also worried that I wouldn’t be suitable for the role as I have never considered myself to be the cleverest lawyer. Whilst the process does test your mental ability, it was clear that just as important were the other judicial qualities, such as how you manage people and how you cope with difficult situations. Those were things I felt were my stronger skills, and again, made me confident that I had done the right thing in applying.
The role
It has honestly been the best career decision I have ever made. Whilst there is a bit of a steep learning curve at first, eventually it all seems to click.
One of the epiphany moments for me was quite early on, when I had a case where another judge had made a decision that one of the parties was now trying to challenge. I went to speak to that judge about the decision he had originally made, and I asked what I should do now in my hearing. His response was that he couldn’t tell me. At first, I was a bit taken aback, as in practice you would never find someone who wasn’t willing to offer their opinion. However, it hit me that what he was saying was that it didn’t matter what he would do. It was all on me to decide what I thought was the right thing to do. The idea of complete independence, and that the JAC had decided that I was suitable to make such decisions on my own, sunk in and from then on, I settled into the role more comfortably.
The initial training was also very comprehensive. Not only did I get lots of useful information, but I got an opportunity to hear from some long serving judges about their experiences. I also appreciated the friendships built up with the other new judges and we still keep in contact with each other to provide support or advice.
That being said, I don’t think there is any substitute for just doing the role. It would be impossible to train you about all the likely situations you face in hearings, and often you are swimming in uncharted waters. The more hearings you do, the more comfortable you become with making decisions, and I think experience is often the best teacher.
The role is easily the most rewarding thing I have done in my varied career. There is nothing that compares to being able to weigh up a case and provide a decision as to what the fair outcome should be. You are not fighting for one client or trying to justify your fee. You are free to make a decision unfettered by any allegiances or outside influences. The issues you are being asked to unpick are often complex, which is rewarding for anyone who got into law because they enjoy problem solving or testing their intellectual ability.
I am often reminded that this is also a public service. You are dispensing justice and aiding those seeking redress when things have gone wrong. The idea that you are performing such an essential function in society is also immensely satisfying.
The workplace
I originally was based at London Central Tribunal. It exposed me to some of the most complicated and high value cases very early on. However, travelling back and forth from Yorkshire every day was a huge toll.
Thankfully, I was eventually transferred up to Leeds, and it is a great place to work, as well as a much shorter commute. The tribunal was purpose-built, so the hearing rooms are all very modern and well designed. For the first time in my career, I have my own private office (which I have decorated with Bollywood movie posters), as all the other judges do. However, even though we work in our own offices, the judges are also very collegiate and provide a very supportive and welcoming environment that has helped me settle in.
Other judges
Find out more about the wide range of people working in legal roles.