Fri, 10 Oct 2014
The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is an independent commission that selects candidates for judicial office in courts and tribunals in England and Wales, and for some tribunals whose jurisdiction extends to Scotland or Northern Ireland.
On Wednesday 8th October 2014 Abid Mahmood spoke at an event organised by CILEX, the Law Society and the Bar Council. The event was held at the offices of St Philips Chambers and was attended by Barristers, Solicitors and Legal Executives.
The other speakers included Recorder Nirmal Shant QC, District Judge Tan Akram and Mr Jeremy Brooks of the JAC.
Abid Mahmood talked about his personal experiences and the background of the application process that he had gone through to be appointed a Recorder in 2008 under the then new system of selecting Judges, when for the first time there was an exam-style test. He also spoke about his earlier appointment in 2006 as an Immigration Judge.
There was an extensive question and answer session at which attendees at the event were able to ask the speakers about the application process in greater detail and when some of the myths in respect of making applications for judicial posts were also dealt with.
The resounding message was that if an applicant is ready to make an application, then they should do so armed with the knowledge that the process is one that requires time in terms of the forms that have to be completed and further time for attendance at tests or interviews.
Statistics were also provided setting out the extent of competition for posts which is an indication of the high level of interest in judicial posts from all areas of the legal profession.
Further details of current and future vacancies can be found at the JAC website.
Click here to view Abid Mahmood’s profile
