District Judge appointed champion for CILEx

22 January 2015

District Judge Christopher Simmonds has been appointed as a champion for the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx). Judge Simmonds, who will work alongside CILEx as part of his Commissioner role at the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC), is set to generate interest, inform and encourage applications for judicial appointments among CILEx members.

Speaking of the collaboration with CILEx, Judge Simmonds said: “My aim is to help CILEx members understand what it takes to apply and become a judge and what the day to day role involves.

“It is the JAC’s role to encourage diversity among the pool of candidates for judicial posts and this includes diversity of professional background, gender, race, disability status and other protected characteristics. Encouraging CILEx Fellows to apply is part of diversifying the judiciary.”

Helen Whiteman, chief operating officer for CILEx said: “Working in tandem with the JAC is one of the many forward-thinking initiatives we are developing to support our members. CILEx lawyers come from such diverse backgrounds which stands them in good stead to be excellent, practical candidates for judicial roles.”

This new collaboration ties in with the JAC’s new website launch which turned live on Tuesday, 20 January. The new candidate-focussed website will feature dedicated pages for applicants with different professional backgrounds. It is also set to feature a tool which will help individuals self-evaluate whether they are ready to apply for judicial appointment.

Three CILEx Fellows have so far been selected for judicial appointments, with two currently in post; Ian Ashley-Smith and Simon Lindsey both sit as deputy district judges on the South Eastern Circuit.

CILEx members can email [email protected] for more information about judicial appointments.

The JAC’s new website can be viewed at http://jac.judiciary.gov.uk/.

ENDS

Photo (left to right): Stuart Burrows (Assistant Director, JAC), District Judge Christopher Simmonds and Helen Whiteman