Introduction To JWSS

“There is no substitute for sitting with a judge when trying to assess if judicial office would be of interest.”

A participant

The Judicial Work Shadowing Scheme gives eligible legal practitioners who are considering a career in judicial office an insight into the work of a judge. Shadowing can cover any aspect of a judge’s work, both in and out of court.

Eligible legal practitioners can spend up to two days observing the work both in and out of court, with the following judges:

The shadowing does not have to be on consecutive days and must be completed within six months of dates being agreed between you and the judge.

All participants are required to sign a declaration to confirm they have a genuine interest in judicial appointment, and accept they are prohibited from disclosing any facts or information about the cases after the shadowing is completed.

Due to the increasing popularity of the scheme, it can take some time for the placement to be arranged. Please consider this when applying. If you are considering applying for a forthcoming judicial appointments selection exercise, it is wise to apply for shadowing as early as possible. We cannot guarantee that a placement will be arranged within a certain time frame since this largely depends on the judge’s availability. Alternatively, you may wish to consider sitting in a public hearing, while considering an application for judicial appointment.

The scheme is administered centrally by the Judicial Office and supported by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service.

“I would really encourage anyone who was considering a judicial role to take part in the scheme. It really opened my eyes to the work involved and allowed me to visualise myself in such a role.”

A participant

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