Judges: White male barristers still dominate the higher courts
Lawyers from lower socio-economic backgrounds are less likely to succeed when applying for the bench than those from higher ones, the first official analysis has indicated.
The Judicial Diversity Forum’s annual statistics also highlighted how the dominance of judicial roles by barristers has grown in the last decade.
A new question has been added to judicial selection exercises on the occupation of the main household earner when candidates were aged 14 – a standard measure of socio-economic background.
For all legal exercises completed in the year to 31 March 2025 (as opposed to non-legal roles, like magistrates), 7% of applicants from a lower socio-economic background were recommended for appointment, compared to 10% and 11% respectively of those with a professional or intermediate background.
Applicants who did not have a parent who attended university had a lower recommendation rate (8%) than those who reported that one or both of their parents had a degree (12%), although those candidates who attended a state school had a similar rate (9%) as those from fee-paying schools (10%).
This year also looked at disability for the first time, finding that candidates with a disability had a slightly lower recommendation rate from application than candidates without one.
Elsewhere, the statistics confirmed continuing trends, with 44% of all judges now female. Women made up 39% of court judges, up from 24% in 2015, and 54% of tribunal judges, 10 percentage points higher than a decade ago.
Broken down by profession, 41% of barrister judges, 54% of solicitor judges, 78% of chartered legal executive judges were women. Of the new entrants to the judiciary during 2024-25, 60% were female.
At the same time, female barristers and solicitors were less likely to be at a senior level than their male colleagues – women held 28% of the posts in the High Court and above, but 48% of district judge and deputy district judge roles.
In the tribunals, however, women accounted for 57% of the most senior roles (presidents).
Since 2015, the proportion of judges from ethnic minorities has increased from 7% to 12%, with Asian lawyers in particular increasing their representation – unlike Black judges, who still make up only 1% of all judges.
The 12% figure is lower compared to the general working age population (17%) but comparable to the proportion of workers aged 50 and over.
While 27% of applicants in 2024-25 were ethnic minority lawyers, they only made up 17% of those appointed.
The report highlighted a statistically significant disparity based on professional background, with solicitors 54% less likely to be successful than barristers – this translated into 13% of barrister applicants succeeding, compared to 6% of solicitors.
Non-barristers were better represented among tribunal judges (62%) than court judges (31%), but these were six and five percentage points respectively lower than in 2015. Only eight of 151 judges in the High Court and above were non-barristers.
As at 1 April, there were 248 judges sitting in retirement.
This year marks the end of the five-year judicial diversity and inclusion strategy, with the new one set to include “ambitious targets”.
The Lady Chief Justice, Baroness Carr, said: “I am determined to improve diversity in the judiciary. It is one of my key priorities. Progress is too slow, and we cannot shy away from that, but we will persist in our efforts to make real change.”
Bar Council chair Barbara Mills KC said: “Every year we are told that there is gradual progress being made towards a more diverse judiciary, but it’s far too slow for Black lawyers and this is no longer good enough…
“We are concerned that candidates from a minority ethnic background, and in particular Black lawyers, are disproportionately ruled out at each step of the recruitment process. We are told that this data is not statistically relevant. We disagree. It is relevant and requires scrutiny.”
This week, the UK Association of Black Judges (UKABJ) was launched and Ms Mills – who is a deputy High Court judge – said: “The launch of this association, and the attendance and presence of voices from across the legal profession, including Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, is a testament to our collective commitment to shaping a legal system that truly reflects the society it represents.
“To me it is important that we as Black judges show up in a system that doesn’t always feel like it shows up for us, to ask hard questions and be part of a respectful solutions-driven conversation.”
Law Society president Richard Atkinson said the figures highlighted that “although some improvements have been made in some areas, significant progress is still required before the judiciary can truly represent the wider society” – he pointed in particular to the lack of Black judges.
“Solicitors are continuing to achieve appointments as judges at disproportionately low rates compared with barristers and the numbers are falling.
“Our concerns remain that until this percentage significantly increases, we will struggle to persuade our members that entry to the judiciary is a level playing field.”
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