The percentage of non-barristers serving as courts and tribunal judges has dropped to 40 percent
The UK justice ministry submitted evidence to the judicial pay structure review being conducted by the Senior Salaries Review Body which highlighted the gap between barristers and solicitors when it comes to success rates in judicial selection exercises.
The Law Society Gazette reported that 56 percent of legal exercise applicants for 2024/2025 were solicitors; however, they only comprised 37 percent of recommendations. In 2017, 45 percent of courts and tribunal judges were non-barristers; the percentage has dropped to 40 percent since then.
The justice ministry indicated that employers were hesitant to release staff for fee-paid judicial office. It highlighted what it described as “persistent shortfalls” of judicial positions in certain regions and on the District bench that salary raises did not address.
In particular, vacancies for district judges in the county and magistrates' courts, employment judges, and first-tier tribunal judges were not being filled. The shortfall related to county court district judge roles was especially focused and consistent in London and the South East.
“The reasons for the London and South-East shortfalls are complex but may include higher legal salaries and cost of living,” the justice ministry said in a statement published by the Gazette, adding that it was also difficult to recruit in the northeast region.
The ministry pointed to the Humber and South Yorkshire cluster as “a particularly difficult area to recruit, deploy and retain judicial resources” in a statement published by the Gazette. North Wales recorded shortfalls in fee-paid resources compared to West and South Wales.
The justice ministry said it was piloting recruitment concentrating on affected regions and chambers.
“Some of these exercises are still reporting but early indications show that a regional or chamber-specific approach has been successful in increasing capacity where most needed,” the justice ministry said in a statement published by the Gazette.
The ministry revealed in its evidence that 1,000 judges and tribunal members are being recruited annually. Moreover, it noted that leadership and senior positions in the High Court and above were being filled over the past year.
Judicial remuneration over 2024/2025 came to £778 million, including salaried and fee-paid judiciary.
