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\n \n < p>Legal professionals from the Government Legal De partment are warmly invited to join this online se minar\, which will explore a judicial career throu gh the experiences of judges who have made that jo urney themselves.\n \n
The Judicial Diversi ty and Inclusion Strategy seeks to encourage talen ted legal professionals from diverse personal and professional backgrounds to consider a judicial ca reer and to feel confident that they can thrive wi thin the judiciary. In that context\, we particula rly hope that legal professionals from backgrounds that are currently less well represented inthe ju diciary will join us\, but all are welcome.
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Speakers
\n \nKathryn Sha kespeare\, District Judge. Kathryn qualif ied as a solicitor in a large City firm before joi ning what was then the Government Legal Service. S he spent the majority of her career as a GLD advis ory lawyer\, in a variety of roles at the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Exiting the Eur opean Union. She also spent nearly three years at the Attorney General’s office\, advising on domest ic legislation and public law issues. Prior to her permanent judicial appointment she was the head o f legal at the Judicial Office and legal adviser t o the Lady Chief Justice.
\n \nKathryn was appointed as a fee-paid Judge in the First-tier tr ibunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber in 2020 and as a District Judge in 2024\, so has experienced t he recruitment process as a GLD lawyer. She now he ars civil claims in the County Court and immigrati on and asylum appeals in the first-tier tribunal.< /p>\n \n
Angela Shields\, Acting Region al Tribunal. Judge Angela qualified as a solicitor in 2000\, having trained with a high str eet practice specialising in civil litigation. The first person in her family to attend university a nd to enter the legal profession\, she joined a co mmercial law practice in 2002 and subsequently bec ame a partner in 2013. She practised in commercial employment law for almost two decades\, advising and representing clients across a wide range of wo rkplace disputes and litigation.
\n \nAngel a was appointed as a salaried District Tribunal Ju dge in the Social Security and Child Support juris diction of the Social Entitlement Chamber in April 2020\, having had no previous fee paid judicial e xperience. She was appointed Deputy Regional Tribu nal Judge in 2022 and became Acting Regional Tribu nal Judge for the South East region in September 2 025. In her current judicial role\, she has leader ship responsibility for over 300 judicial office h olders in the South East and hears appeals in rela tion to social security and child support.
\n \ nAdditional speaker
\n \nWe will also be joined by a representative from the Judicial Appointments Commission\, who will s hare up-to-date information about the application process and answer common questions.
DESCRIPTION: \n \n \n \n Practical guidance drawn from judicia l experience\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Legal profession als from the Government Legal Department are warml y invited to join this online seminar\, which will explore a judicial career through the experiences of judges who have made that journey themselves.\ n \n \n \n The Judicial Diversity and Inclusion St rategy seeks to encourage talented legal professio nals from diverse personal and professional backgr ounds to consider a judicial career and to feel co nfident that they can thrive within the judiciary. In that context\, we particularly hope that legal professionals from backgrounds that are currently less well represented inthe judiciary will join u s\, but all are welcome.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \ n \n \n \n \n Speakers\n \n \n \n Kathryn Shakesp eare\, District Judge. Kathryn qualified as a soli citor in a large City firm before joining what was then the Government Legal Service. She spent the majority of her career as a GLD advisory lawyer\, in a variety of roles at the Ministry of Justice a nd the Department for Exiting the European Union. She also spent nearly three years at the Attorney General’s office\, advising on domestic legislatio n and public law issues. Prior to her permanent ju dicial appointment she was the head of legal at th e Judicial Office and legal adviser to the Lady Ch ief Justice.\n \n \n \n Kathryn was appointed as a fee-paid Judge in the First-tier tribunal Immigra tion and Asylum Chamber in 2020 and as a District Judge in 2024\, so has experienced the recruitment process as a GLD lawyer. She now hears civil clai ms in the County Court and immigration and asylum appeals in the first-tier tribunal.\n \n \n \n Ang ela Shields\, Acting Regional Tribunal. Judge Ange la qualified as a solicitor in 2000\, having train ed with a high street practice specialising in civ il litigation. The first person in her family to a ttend university and to enter the legal profession \, she joined a commercial law practice in 2002 an d subsequently became a partner in 2013. She pract ised in commercial employment law for almost two d ecades\, advising and representing clients across a wide range of workplace disputes and litigation. \n \n \n \n Angela was appointed as a salaried Dis trict Tribunal Judge in the Social Security and Ch ild Support jurisdiction of the Social Entitlement Chamber in April 2020\, having had no previous fe e paid judicial experience. She was appointed Depu ty Regional Tribunal Judge in 2022 and became Acti ng Regional Tribunal Judge for the South East regi on in September 2025. In her current judicial role \, she has leadership responsibility for over 300 judicial office holders in the South East and hear s appeals in relation to social security and child support.\n \n \n \n Additional speaker\n \n \n \n We will also be joined by a representative from t he Judicial Appointments Commission\, who will sha re up-to-date information about the application pr ocess and answer common questions.\n \n CATEGORIES:Diversity Event CALSCALE:GREGORIAN DTSTAMP;TZID=Europe/London:20260923T170000 DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260923T170000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260923T180000 LOCATION:Online Via MS Teams\n United Kingdom\n URL:https://www.judicialcareers.judiciary.uk/civicrm/event/info/?reset=1&id=218 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR