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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 in the j udiciary will join us\, but all are welcome.
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The se minar will be introduced by Mel Nebhrajani CB. Mel was called to the Bar in 1994\, practising in Chancery chambers where she speciali sed in property\, charity and trusts work. Since 1 999 she has worked in what is now the Government L egal Department (GLD). She was appointed Director General in 2021 and now leads GLD’s Litigation wit h Justice and Security Group. This includes the Li tigation Directorate and the Statutory Instruments Hub\, as well as the legal teams advising the Cab inet Office\, Home Office\, Northern Ireland Offic e\, Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Defence.\n \n
Over her career\, Mel has worked leadin g issues including the Human Rights Act\, the Devo lution settlements\, the Freedom of Information Ac t and the legal response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She was highly commended in the Asian Women of Ac hievement Awards 2020\, appointed Companion of the Bath in the 2021 New Year’s Honours List and is o n The 100 Women in Westminster list for 2026.
\ n \nJudicial Speakers
\n \nKathryn Shakespeare\, Dist rict Judge. Kathryn qualified as a solici tor in a large City firm before joining what was t hen the Government Legal Service. She spent the ma jority of her career as a GLD advisory lawyer\, in a variety of roles at the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Exiting the European Union. Sh e also spent nearly three years at the Attorney Ge neral’s office\, advising on domestic legislation and public law issues. Prior to her permanent judi cial appointment she was the head of legal at the Judicial Office and legal adviser to the Lady Chie f Justice.
\n \nKathryn was appointed as a fee-paid Judge in the First-tier tribunal Immigrat ion and Asylum Chamber in 2020 and as a District J udge in 2024\, so has experienced the recruitment process as a GLD lawyer. She now hears civil claim s in the County Court and immigration and asylum a ppeals in the first-tier tribunal.
\n \nAngela was appointed as a salaried District Tribunal Judge in the Soci al Security and Child Support jurisdiction of the Social Entitlement Chamber in April 2020\, having had no previous fee paid judicial experience. She was appointed Deputy Regional Tribunal Judge in 20 22 and became Acting Regional Tribunal Judge for t he South East region in September 2025. In her cur rent judicial role\, she has leadership responsibi lity for over 300 judicial office holders in the S outh East and hears appeals in relation to social security and child support.
\n \nW e will also be joined by a representative from the Judicial Appointments Commission\, Upper Tribunal Judge Clive Lane\, who will share up-to-date info rmation about the application process and answer c ommon questions.
\n \nClive Lane\, Upper Tribunal Judge. Clive was admitted as a solicitor in 1985 and was in private practice until 2001. He was a Legal Chair of the Appeals S ervice (now Social Entitlement Chamber) from 1999 until 2007. He was appointed a Deputy District Jud ge (Civil) in 2001. He served as an Immigration Ju dge from 2001 until 2009 when he was appointed a J udge of the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber). Since 2021\, he has been authorised to sit as a Judge of the High Court (Family Division) . In 2024\, he was appointed a Justice of the Cour t of Appeal of the British Indian Ocean Territory.
\n \nClive was appointed to the JAC as a Senior Judicial Commissioner for a term of three y ears on 1 July 2025.
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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 in the judiciary will join us\, but all are welcome.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The seminar will be introduced by Mel Nebhrajani CB. Mel was called to the Bar in 19 94\, practising in Chancery chambers where she spe cialised in property\, charity and trusts work. Si nce 1999 she has worked in what is now the Governm ent Legal Department (GLD). She was appointed Dire ctor General in 2021 and now leads GLD’s Litigatio n with Justice and Security Group. This includes t he Litigation Directorate and the Statutory Instru ments Hub\, as well as the legal teams advising th e Cabinet Office\, Home Office\, Northern Ireland Office\, Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Defen ce.\n \n \n \n Over her career\, Mel has worked le ading issues including the Human Rights Act\, the Devolution settlements\, the Freedom of Informatio n Act and the legal response to the COVID-19 pande mic. She was highly commended in the Asian Women o f Achievement Awards 2020\, appointed Companion of the Bath in the 2021 New Year’s Honours List and is on The 100 Women in Westminster list for 2026.\ n \n \n \n Judicial Speakers\n \n \n \n Kathryn Sh akespeare\, District Judge. Kathryn qualified as a solicitor in a large City firm before joining wha t was then the Government Legal Service. She spent the majority of her career as a GLD advisory lawy er\, in a variety of roles at the Ministry of Just ice and the Department for Exiting the European Un ion. She also spent nearly three years at the Atto rney General’s office\, advising on domestic legis lation and public law issues. Prior to her permane nt judicial appointment she was the head of legal at the Judicial Office and legal adviser to the La dy Chief Justice.\n \n \n \n Kathryn was appointed as a fee-paid Judge in the First-tier tribunal Im migration and Asylum Chamber in 2020 and as a Dist rict Judge in 2024\, so has experienced the recrui tment process as a GLD lawyer. She now hears civil claims in the County Court and immigration and as ylum appeals in the first-tier tribunal.\n \n \n \ n Angela Shields\, Acting Regional Tribunal Judge. Angela qualified as a solicitor in 2000\, having trained with a high street practice specialising i n civil litigation. The first person in her family to attend university and to enter the legal profe ssion\, she joined a commercial law practice in 20 02 and subsequently became a partner in 2013. She practised in commercial employment law for almost two decades\, advising and representing clients ac ross a wide range of workplace disputes and litiga tion.\n \n \n \n Angela was appointed as a salarie d District Tribunal Judge in the Social Security a nd Child Support jurisdiction of the Social Entitl ement Chamber in April 2020\, having had no previo us fee paid judicial experience. She was appointed Deputy Regional Tribunal Judge in 2022 and became Acting Regional Tribunal Judge for the South East region in September 2025. In her current judicial role\, she has leadership responsibility for over 300 judicial office holders in the South East and hears 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 f rom the Judicial Appointments Commission\, Upper T ribunal Judge Clive Lane\, who will share up-to-da te information about the application process and a nswer common questions.\n \n \n \n Clive Lane\, Up per Tribunal Judge. Clive was admitted as a solici tor in 1985 and was in private practice until 2001 . He was a Legal Chair of the Appeals Service (now Social Entitlement Chamber) from 1999 until 2007. He was appointed a Deputy District Judge (Civil) in 2001. He served as an Immigration Judge from 20 01 until 2009 when he was appointed a Judge of the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber). Since 2021\, he has been authorised to sit as a Ju dge of the High Court (Family Division). In 2024\, he was appointed a Justice of the Court of Appeal of the British Indian Ocean Territory. \n \n \n \ n Clive was appointed to the JAC as a Senior Judic ial Commissioner for a term of three years on 1 Ju ly 2025.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \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