Demystifying Judicial appointments and increasing diversity
Join an all-Judge panel from diverse backgrounds as they share their career path and their views on the barriers and challenges before prospective applicants, particularly for black and underrepresented groups in the judiciary.
Chairing the panel Tribunal Judge Shahzad Aziz is a former barrister who was appointed as a fee-paid judge in 2006. He held a number of fee-paid judicial positions before becoming a salaried judge in 2020. Since 2020 he has been an Assistant Resident Judge at the Immigration and Asylum Chamber (IAC) at Priory Courts, Birmingham.
Other Judges on the panel will include the following:
President of the First-tier Tribunal Tax Chamber Amanda Brown KC’s post-qualification career has been dedicated to tax law. She qualified as a solicitor in 1993 and moved to the revenue authorities on qualification, where she worked as a tribunal advocate. In 1999, she moved to KPMG to establish and lead its tax disputes and litigation business, advising and acting for clients as a solicitor advocate in the UK and EU courts and tribunals. She was appointed as a fee-paid judge in the FTT Tax Chamber in 2015 and subsequently also to the Social Entitlement Chamber in 2019. She took silk in 2021. Following her retirement from the KPMG Partnership, in 2024 she was appointed as a salaried judge in the Tax Chamber and as its President earlier this year. She is a passionate advocate for increased diversity of the judiciary and sees the Tribunals as fertile ground for those aspiring to the more senior judicial posts to learn their judicial trade. She is one of the Judicial Appointments Commission’s Outreach Programme’s Judicial Guides. The Tax Chamber also has its own recruitment assistance programme to support those wishing to embark on judicial careers, either through fee-paid appointments or as salaried judges.
District Tribunal Judge Mark Angus has been a District Tribunal Judge in Social Security and Child Support chamber since January 2018. He was a criminal solicitor/ solicitor advocate for most of his career and had no previous Judicial experience prior to this appointment. State educated, he left school and college with very average grades and began his legal career at 18 as an administrative assistant at the Crown Prosecution Service. He qualified as a solicitor after studying at night school while working full-time and raising a family. Becoming a judge was never something he expected, and he is passionate about ensuring others have equal opportunities, regardless of their background.
Mark now serves as a Diversity and Community Relations Judge, Focal Point Judge, and Diversity and Inclusion Lead for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Chamber. He is also currently undertaking a Master’s Degree in Equality and Inclusion in Society.
Judge James Dixon was the first in his family to attend university, the son of a small shopkeeper. He grew up between England and Scotland. Initially, he did not study law but later completed a postgraduate diploma in law. With no contacts in the legal profession, James began volunteering at a law centre and, after many applications and much perseverance, secured a pupillage. His knowledge of foreign languages helped distinguish his CV.
James practised at the Bar for approximately 17 years across diverse areas of law. In 2020, he was appointed a salaried judge in the Immigration and Asylum Chamber (IAC), despite having never sat as a judge before. He had made several attempts in Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) competitions before achieving success. He now mentors aspiring lawyers at a local sixth form.
District Judge Anthony Rich is a District Judge based at Birmingham Civil & Family Justice Centre.
In addition to the usual wide range of a District Judge's jurisdiction he has specialist accreditation for the District Registry of he High Court (Kings Bench & Chancery), The Business and Property Court, for the Intellectual Property & Enterprise Court and as a judge in Equality Act cases and for private family childcare law and for family money in divorce cases.
Anthony was born in Sweden and travelled widely with his family in childhood. He has been the senior partner of a large solicitors' practice, and has held a number of senior posts in the public and not-for-profit sectors. His last post before appointment in 2012 to full-time judicial office was as the General Counsel to the Legal Ombudsman.
Deputy District Judge Katie Wilkinson was Called to the Bar in October 2003, and has since practised as a Barrister at the self-employed Bar undertaking Business and Property work, consumer litigation, and contentious probate. Katie was appointed as a Deputy District Judge of the Midland Circuit in 2021, sitting mainly in the Business and Property Courts in Birmingham. She continues to work as a Barrister from Halcyon Chambers
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