All candidates for judicial roles are assessed against frameworks that specify a range of skills and abilities and competencies.
When you apply, you need to offer written examples providing evidence that you can meet the requirements of the role and nominate independent assessors to support your application.
Although this way of assessing candidates is used widely in the UK, it may not be familiar to those from private or commercial sectors.
Changing the framework for assessing candidates
The framework which candidates are being assessed under changed in October 2025.
We have worked with members of the Judicial Skills and Abilities (JSAF) working group chaired by Lady Justice Falk to create the Judicial Skills and Abilities Framework (JSAF).
This unified framework aligns the standards used for recruiting, training and appraising judicial roles. Read more about:
What this means for candidates
For around a year, we will be assessing candidates with different frameworks, depending on when your selection exercise started.
If you have applied for any roles prior to October 2025, you will be assessed with the Competency Framework or JAC Skills and Abilities Framework.
If you are applying for any roles from October 2025, you will be assessed by the unified JSAF.
When you apply for a role, the advert and information page will clearly highlight what framework will apply. This will not change throughout the process.