The Queen is pleased to approve the appointment of a Justice of the High Court. This appointment will take effect from 1 October 2021. It is anticipated that further appointments will be announced in the coming months. There is no upper or lower age limit for candidates apart from the statutory retirement age. The Mandatory Retirement Age (as of 10 March 2022) is 75 and therefore we will consider applications from candidates who can offer a reasonable length of service before reaching the retirement age of 75 following recommendation This follows a full consultation last year which received over 1000 responses from across the magistracy, judiciary, the legal profession, and other key stakeholder groups. The majority supported raising the age limit to reflect improvements in life expectancy and an increase in cases that need dealing with. Andrew Ritchie QC, aged 61 will be known as The Honourable Mr Justice Ritchie. He was Called to the Bar (Inner Temple) in 1985 and took Silk in 2009. Mr Justice Bennathan has been appointed to the South Eastern Circuit where he will succeed Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb.

Julia Dias KC will be known as The Honourable Mrs Justice Dias. She was Called to the Bar (Inner Temple) in 1982 and took Silk in 2008. She was appointed as a Deputy High Court Judge in 2018, assigned to the Chancery Division.Raising the retirement age will mean we can retain their invaluable experience, while ensuring that judicial roles are open to a wider pool of talent. The candidates approved as High Court Judge judges are His Honour Judge Mark Wall, Her Honour Judge Mary Stacey, Nigel Poole QC, Charles Bourne QC, Rowena Collins Rice and Kelyn Bacon QC. The age at which someone is appointed should allow for a reasonable length of service, which is usually between three and five years before retirement.

The Queen is pleased to approve the appointment of six Justices of the High Court. These appointments will take effect from 1 October 2020. It is anticipated that a further ten appointments will be announced in the coming months.

Judicial Appointments Process

Peach – An Independent Scrutiny of the Appointment Process of Judges and Queen’s Counsel in England and Wales (London, 1999) He was appointed a High Court Judge in 2013 and was a Presiding Judge of the Western Circuit from 2014 to 2018. He was appointed to the Court of Appeal in 2019. He was appointed as lead judge for International Relations in February 2021. Lead Judge for Diversity & Inclusion, Leadership Development and Wellbeing Despite the criticisms levelled at it the former method of appointment in fact worked rather well. Candidates were selected on merit, there was no question of any political consideration being involved, and the Lord Chancellor usually acted on the advice of the senior judiciary, who were in a position to identify able practitioners. Selection was however, as critics pointed out, from a rather narrow pool and this did nothing for the diversity of the judiciary. Mr Justice Hilliard has been appointed to the North Eastern Circuit where he will succeed Mr Justice Lavender. hearings using remote technology are taking place each week – compared to around 550 in March 2020 – a 4000% rise.

In applying for any exercise, you should consider whether you can provide the full years’ service before retirement. The JAC Selection and Character Committee will decide whether a candidate will be able to provide a reasonable length of service. In doing this they will take into account the number of vacancies, application numbers and the business need for the role. Mr Justice Pushpinder Saini was called to the Bar in 1991 (Gray’s Inn) and took silk in 2008. He was appointed a Deputy High Court Judge in 2017 and a High Court Judge in 2019. Brennan – The Selection of Judges for Commonwealth Courts (Canberra, 10 August 2007) (Senate Lecture Series)

It will also make sure our courts and tribunals can continue to benefit from a world-class judiciary, as we emerge from the pandemic and beyond. Lord Justice Green was called to the Bar in 1986. He took silk in 1998 and was Chair of the Bar Council in 2010.