Whipple: Focus on small number of priorities
The new judicial diversity strategy has prioritised increasing the number of Black judges and ensuring reasonable adjustments are provided for disabled judges as areas of “acute need requiring urgent attention”.
The third focus area highlighted in the Judicial Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2026-30 [1] is expanding diversity in the pool of applicants to become judges of the High Court and above.
Introducing the strategy, Dame Philippa Whipple, lead judge for diversity and inclusion, said: “In recent times we have tended to shift away from trying to tackle all inequalities at once.
“The better and ultimately more productive approach is to identify a small number of priorities and focus on them, to effect lasting change before moving to different areas of focus.
“This is not to overlook the vast amount of work which needs to be done in a range of areas. Rather, it is to be strategic in how we approach that work.”
The proportion of Black judges has remained at 1% for a decade and the strategy pledged to engage with the networks representing diverse groups of judges, such as those for Black judges, LGBTQ+ judges and women judges. It said a network to represent judges with disability was planned.
The judicial outreach mentoring and workplace shadowing schemes would be “tailored to areas where the judiciary is under-represented”, such as Black lawyers, lawyers with disabilities, solicitors and those from socially disadvantaged backgrounds”.
“We will set an ambition of having over 1,000 judges involved in mentoring colleagues or legal professionals, or in participating in reverse mentoring.”
There would “be clear policies and procedures to support disabled judicial office holders to access adjustments where necessary”, while guidance for neurodivergent individuals and those with non-visible disabilities would be developed.
The decision to focus on the pool of applicants for the High Court and above was based on data showing that the progress made to improve diversity elsewhere in our courts and tribunals “is not currently reflected in the senior judiciary”.
Focus areas will be reviewed annually under the strategy. “We will continue to collect data in other areas such as sexual orientation and socio-economic background, to inform decisions about future focus areas.”
In her introduction to an accompanying evaluation [2] of the 2020-2025 strategy, Dame Philippa said: “We have embedded responsibility for diversity and inclusion into judicial leadership, expanded our outreach to underrepresented communities, and strengthened the support available to judicial office holders.”
She went on: “This work has had its challenges. Progress in some areas has been slower than we would wish, and we must continue to address persistent underrepresentation, particularly at senior levels and among black judges.”