Page 64 - Judicial Diversity Update report

LGBT people as one of the four target groups of unrepresented people in the
judiciary, there is not the same granularity of detail on such appointments. For
example, the most recent JAC statistics groups sexual orientation data across
all exercises, legal and non-legal. Data is not collected on gender identity.

2.110. In terms of appointment rates, the JAC bulletin of April 2019 summarises:

In total across all exercises combined, 6% of applicants, 5% of shortlisted
candidates and 6% of those recommended for appointment identified
themselves to be gay, lesbian or bisexual. 88% of candidates declared their
sexual orientation. When considering rates of recommendation, 21% of gay,
lesbian and bisexual applicants were recommended for appointment,
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compared to 20% for heterosexual candidates.
2.111. It would therefore appear that success rates for LGB candidates are generally
in line with application rates. However, we would like to see the data broken
down by exercise where possible in order to determine whether this is the case
for all exercises.

Notes on the pool

2.112. There is also a challenge around data on the pool. The Solicitors Regulation
Authority (SRA) has collected data on sexual orientation since 2012. Its most
recent diversity update reports that 3% of solicitors identify as LGB (not T)
and around 1% identified as ‘other’. Since 2017 the SRA has separated out
Trans lawyers, and found that 2% of lawyers report to be Trans. Jointly, the
figures add up to around 6% of lawyers. However, the SRA caveats that the
accuracy of these numbers is affected by the high number of those choosing
not to divulge their details (response rate 87%).

2.113. The Bar Standard Board reports 6.8% LGBT barristers at the Bar (this figure
excludes non respondents); but there are very low response rates, with only
43.1% of barristers providing information (including Prefer Not To Say).
When calculated against the total number of respondents (including non-

146 Judicial Appointments Commission, ‘Judicial Selection and Recommendations for Appointment:
Official Statistics, 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019’, June 2019, p.34, available online at
https://www.judicialappointments.gov.uk/sites/default/files/sync/about_the_jac/official_statistics/statis
tics-bulletin-jac-2018-19.pdf
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