Law Society comment on report of Advisory Panel on Judicial Diversity 2010

25 February 2010

Commenting on the Report of the Advisory Panel on Judicial Diversity 2010, the Law Society's chief executive Desmond Hudson says:

Baroness Neuberger and her advisory panel have made an important contribution to the continuing debate about increasing diversity of the judiciary.

The Law Society is working closely with other professional bodies, the Judicial Appointments Commission, the Ministry of Justice and the Judiciary to identify and overcome the obstacles to progress.

We look forward to continuing that work in light of this report and will be giving careful consideration to its recommendations.

We are particularly interested in the establishment of a clearer judicial path and are committed to ensure that there is a diverse pool of highly qualified solicitor candidates for each appointment, and the number of solicitor judges appointed increases.

The Society has been very clear, the solicitor's profession should reflect the diversity of the community it serves and from which it is drawn. The same applies to the judiciary.