Responding to the recent launch of the Pre-Application Judicial Education (PAJE) programme by the Judicial Diversity Forum (JDF), of which the Bar Council is a member, Chair of the Bar Council, Richard Atkins QC, said: “PAJE is an important initiative for the judiciary and is based on a concept which the Bar Council and its Equality & Diversity and Social Mobility Committee has been keen to progress. It forms part of a wider offering from the Bar aimed specifically at supporting barristers seeking a career as a judge. To see PAJE come to fruition in conjunction with the judiciary and other branches of the legal profession is a positive step towards a more diverse judiciary which reflects the society it serves.
Chair of the Bar Council’s Equality & Diversity and Social Mobility Committee, Robin Allen QC, said: "Working as a judge requires a different perspective from that of a barrister. Of course, like barristers, judges never stop learning about their job, but there is much they can do in preparation for it. The PAJE programme and the Bar Council’s guide on becoming a judge has been designed with this in mind. It aims to help applicants start by discussing "judgecraft", the judicial framework, and judicial ethics. It will help them to know how to develop resilience, and how to take a proper approach to diversity. These are all key skills for judges and every lawyer seeking judicial appointment needs to start acquiring them. Now there is an excellent resource for all that will help achieve greater judicial diversity.”
More information about PAJE can be found here.
