The Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer last week announced plans to widen the pool for judicial appointments and encourage more women, ethnic minority and disabled lawyers to apply - but stressed appointments must continue to be based on merit.

In a speech at the Woman Lawyer Forum in London last weekend, he said part-time working will be extended to all judges below the High Court, subject to business need, with a career break scheme for serving judges being considered to help with the work/life balance.


After last year's consultation on improving diversity on the bench, he said the Department for Constitutional Affairs will put much more effort into informing lawyers about judicial appointments, and will also seek candidates and promote awareness among under-represented groups.


Other ideas that will be discussed included extending the eligibility for appointment to legal executives, academics, patent agents and trade mark attorneys, and others with appropriate experience. Legally qualified magistrates could be fast-tracked to the higher judiciary.


The Lord Chancellor will also consider lifting the prohibition on judges returning to practice - at least at the lower end of the judiciary - mentoring for salaried judges, and measures to encourage applications from lawyers with disabilities.


While he emphasised merit as the sole criteria for appointment, Lord Falconer said: 'In cases where a number of candidates are shown to be of equal merit, there must be a question as to whether we should bring a diversity element into the selection process.'


He said: 'This is not about political correctness. It is about the effectiveness of the justice system. Without a diverse legal profession and a diverse bench, the justice system will not adequately reflect the society it serves, and it will not command the full confidence of the public.'


The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Woolf, praised many of the Lord Chancellor's schemes as 'innovative and imaginative' but strongly opposed allowing judges to return to private practice.


Catherine Baksi