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For our profession this is hugely positive. Not only do we now have two more of our number on the High Court Bench (making them solicitor High Court Judges numbers 7 and 8) but we also have:

1) two solicitors appointed directly from practice rather than from the salaried judiciary, with Lawrence Collins having been the only other solicitor for whom this happened, and

2) one of them appointed to the High Court Bench with only fee-paid experience in the Tribunals under her belt. Given that this matches the situation of many other solicitor Judges it gives a very positive signal about the willingness of the JAC to look beyond the more common sources of recruitment (being barristers, Recorders, Circuit and Deputy High Court Judges)

It is true that one swallow does not a summer make, and that we will be looking closely to ensure this is not a one-off, but it is nonetheless a good news story in an area that has cried out for one for so long.

Bravo and congratulations to both of them.