Case studies

I am an employment solicitor and had always worked in this capacity since qualification. I was appointed as a fee-paid Employment Judge in London South in 2013.

I was appointed as a salaried judge in December 2019 after spending 20 years as a solicitor. My career path into the legal profession did not follow the traditional route.

My parents are from East Africa, as first-generation immigrants they came to the UK in the 1970s. I was born and raised in North London.

I worked as a commercial property solicitor in the City pretty much throughout my career, becoming head of global real estate. I had a great time, but after 30 years I was ready for a different culture and new experiences.

After qualifying as a barrister, I completed pupillage in a leading set of chambers in Cardiff in 1979. There was only one female member of those chambers with very few other women practising anywhere in Wales, a level of representation reflected throughout the judiciary at that time.

I qualified as a solicitor in 2012 and the focus of my private practice is intellectual property and technology litigation.

I originate from Hertfordshire and attended state schools there. I was fortunate enough to have some truly inspiring teachers and went on to read English at Wadham College, Oxford.

I had never thought of becoming a judge, as it seemed to be something that barristers in independent practice did, and I was an in-house employed barrister and had no judicial experience...

I was born and raised in Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland. I was the eldest daughter of the well-respected village butcher, who pushed me to go to grammar school and from the age of 13 years old, I developed a very definite aspiration to become a solicitor.

Karen Walden-Smith is currently the Designated Civil Judge (DCJ) for East Anglia and a Deputy High Court Judge (DHCJ). She practised as a barrister and sat as a Recorder before being appointed as a full-time Circuit Judge in 2010.