Bar Council calls for greater scrutiny and investment after latest judiciary diversity statistics
The Bar Council has said progress towards a more diverse judiciary has stalled for the representation of Black lawyers, following the publication of the latest Ministry of Justice judicial diversity statistics.
According to the figures, the proportion of judges from ethnic minority backgrounds has increased from 7% in 2015 to 12%. However, the proportion of Black judges has remained at 1% of the judiciary over the same period.
Responding to the statistics, Bar Council Chair Barbara Mills KC said the pace of change was “far too slow” for Black lawyers and called for stronger action to improve representation across the judiciary.
She said the Bar Council remained concerned that candidates from minority ethnic backgrounds, particularly Black lawyers, appear to be disproportionately filtered out during different stages of the judicial appointments process. While the data has been described by some as not statistically significant, Mills said the Bar Council disagrees and believes it warrants closer examination.
For solicitors considering judicial appointment, the Bar Council’s response highlights the continued focus on diversity within the appointments process and the importance of ongoing initiatives designed to support candidates from under-represented backgrounds. The organisation is calling for greater scrutiny of recruitment outcomes alongside continued investment in programmes intended to widen access to judicial careers.
The comments coincide with the launch of the UK Association of Black Judges, an organisation established to support Black members of the judiciary and promote greater representation within the legal system. Barbara Mills KC attended the launch in her capacity as Chair of the Bar Council and as a deputy High Court judge.
Speaking at the event, she said the creation of the association reflected a wider commitment across the legal profession to building a judiciary that better represents the society it serves. She also welcomed the involvement of senior figures from across the legal sector, including the Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales, Baroness Carr.
The latest diversity report also broadens the information collected on judicial diversity. It expands disability data and, for the first time, includes information on social mobility, measured by the type of school attended.
Mills welcomed the inclusion of social mobility data and acknowledged the contribution of initiatives such as the Pre-Application Judicial Education Programme, specialist bar association and circuit outreach schemes, and the Bar Council’s judicial appointments mentoring programme. However, she said the latest statistics demonstrate that substantially more work is required if the judiciary is to better reflect the communities it serves.