Selection shake-up will give boost to judicial applicants

Solicitors are competing on a level playing field when applying for judicial appointments, a senior civil servant insisted last week.

David Gladwell, a member of the Lord Chancellor's judicial appointments group, told a Law Society seminar on reaching the bench that he was aware problems existed, but said solicitors should 'judge us on the efforts in 2001 and not the perceptions of the previous 25 years'.

Under the reviewed selection process, he said more applicants would be interviewed by a panel - consisting of a serving judge, a senior official in the judicial group, and a selected lay member.

Mr Gladwell said the success rate of appointments following an interview will be roughly one in five, as opposed to the previous one in three.

Unsuccessful applicants are also encouraged to approach the panel for feedback.

'Use us as a glorified careers advisory service,' said Mr Gladwell.

'The only thing that we won't reveal to you is who said what.'Andrew Towler