Insight visits for prospective judicial candidates
Visits to the Supreme Court for potential candidates for forthcoming judicial vacancies
On 21 November 2016, Lord Neuberger, President of the Supreme Court, announced a range of initiatives to help encourage the broadest range of eligible candidates to consider applying for the numerous judicial positions due to fall vacant at the Supreme Court before the end of 2018.
One key part of this package is the opportunity for potential candidates to visit the Court for a half-day session, to learn more about the organisation and the role of Justices. These sessions would typically comprise:
- a personal tour of the Court conducted by a senior member of staff not directly involved in the appointment process;
- the opportunity to sit in court (with access to the parties' core bundle) and follow proceedings for up to two hours;
- a private meeting of up to one hour with a current Justice not directly involved in the appointment process to discuss the nature, challenges and highlights of the role.
We are now inviting expressions of interest for such sessions, which will typically last half a day (three to four hours) and will be held between December 2016 and 3 March 2017. Sessions will be arranged on a confidential, individual (one-to-one) basis. The session can be tailored to meet the applicant's needs: any of the elements outlined above can be dispensed with if the applicant would prefer.
Expressions of interest in attending such a session are invited from anyone who meets the minimum statutory criteria to be a Justice of the Supreme Court, and who is contemplating seeking such an appointment within the next two years. Given the current composition of the Supreme Court, we would be particularly keen to arrange such visits for potential candidates from groups currently under-represented in the senior judiciary.
To enquire further, please email angela.chandler@supremecourt.uk or to have an informal discussion about the opportunity in advance of making an expression of interest, please call William Arnold, Director of Corporate Services, on 020 7960 1987. It would be helpful if applicants could state what elements of the session they feel they would particularly value, to help us plan accordingly. Visits must take place before Friday 3 March 2017.
Availability of these visits is not guaranteed and the Supreme Court reserves the right to screen applicants where there is uncertainty over whether they meet the minimum statutory requirements for Supreme Court judicial appointment. In the event of very high demand for such sessions, the Court also reserves the right to prioritise visits.