“This is the best job in the world. You are a part of the criminal justice system and the work is about ensuring that cases are tried fairly and that people are treated with respect, no matter who they are and no matter what their role in the proceedings might be. There is never need to question what you are doing with your life.”
We’ve asked current judges to share their stories and experience of why they wanted to become a judge, how they found the process and what the job entails day-to-day. Click on their names below to hear their thoughts.
Legal roles
“The best thing can also be the most daunting: having the responsibility and power to make decisions that will have a direct bearing on people’s lives. The support you get from other judges is also fantastic. I had expected it to be a rather lonely job but in fact the opposite has been the case.”
- Jo Ann Boylan-Kemp, Fee-paid Judge, Social Entitlement Chamber
- Olufemi Oluleye, Fee-paid Judge, Social Entitlement Chamber
- Helena Suffield-Thompson, Fee-paid Judge, Social Entitlement Chamber
- Ini Udom, Tribunal Judge in the First-tier Tribunal, Social Entitlement Chamber (Social Security and Child Support)
- Joanna Wade, Salaried Employment Judge
- Louise Brandon, Recorder
- Edward Murray, Recorder
- Ray Singh, Recorder
- Ian Ashley-Smith, Deputy District Judge
- Richard Wright, Deputy District Judge (Magistrates’ Court)
- Aneeta Borwick, Deputy District Judge (Magistrates’ Courts)
- Karen Hammond, District Judge (Magistrates’ Court)
- Tan Ikram, District Judge (Magistrates’ Court)
- Hina Rai, District Judge (Magistrates Court)
- Anne Molyneux, Circuit Judge
- Paula Tyler, Circuit Judge
- Akhlaq Choudhury, President of the Employment Appeals Tribunal
- Rabinder Singh, Court of Appeal Judge
- Kam Chahal, First-tier Tribunal Judge (Mental Health)
Non legal tribunal member roles
“I’d encourage anyone to apply. It’s important judicial work and – in human terms – really fascinating; you often feel very humbled by the people who come before you.”
- Larry O’Callaghan, Fee-paid Disability Member of the First-tier Tribunal
- Catharine Seddon, Fee-paid Disability Member of the First-tier Tribunal
- Dr Rajesh Gowda, Medical Member of the Mental Health Review Tribunal
- Gloria Mills, Lay Member, Employment Appeals Tribunal*
- Paul Gantley, Fee-Paid Specialist Lay Member of the First-tier Tribunal Health, Education and Social Care (HESC)
- Lola Moses, Member of the Valuation Tribunal for England
- Bridget Graham, Specialist Member, Health, Education and Social Care Chamber