Lawyers are too rich to join the judiciary, Lord Thomas, the Lord Chief Justice has told Peers. The House of Lords Constitution Committee heard last week that the judiciary is having problems recruiting suitable candidates to the bench, particularly the High Court, because private practice has been so prosperous in recent years that people don’t want to accept a pay cut. Traditionally, the judicial pension was a big draw for applicants, but Lord Thomas said the Chancellor’s £10,000 tax relief cap on pensions had acted as a deterrent.
04 May 2016
Rich lawyers reluctant to become judges
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NEWS
Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot
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After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent
Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25
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