Leadership roles

Most experienced judges are also responsible for a number of tasks in addition to their daily role at court or in a tribunal.

These duties are wide ranging and include making strategic decisions as well as enhancing operational performance. 

Additional responsibilities 

The additional duties expected from senior judges will vary depending on each role and its context within the courts and tribunal system. The skills and abilities required to fulfil these leadership duties will be clearly detailed with each role.

Below are examples of leadership roles and responsibilities:

Senior Circuit Judge

In this role, you may be responsible for: 

• making sure cases within the court centre are managed efficiently
• ensuring with other judges that all work complies with current guidelines and good practice
• monitoring quality and delivery then defining any improvement actions 

Resident Judge, Designated Civil or Family Judge

In this role, you may be responsible for: 

• reviewing information relating to the courts around topics such as waiting times
• offering guidance to improve court efficiency
• ensuring that judges are specifically assigned to any sensitive or important cases 

Additional responsibilities will be clearly laid out in the job specification.

More information 

View more examples and information on judicial leadership responsibilities. 

Support for applicants

The JAC offers expert help for people applying for roles from under-represented groups through its Targeted Outreach programme.

Find out more about other support pathways for your journey into the judiciary.

Next steps

If you are interested in applying for a leadership role, visit our vacancies page to view open and upcoming future posts. Find out if you’re eligible and what you need to know before you apply.