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Time, Ladies and Gentlemen. Please. Time?!

We are information rich and yet increasingly time and decision making poor. We seem to be working harder and harder just to stand still. Work is becoming more fraught and a lot less enjoyable. We don’t even have the time to ask ourselves why? We’re too busy just doing.

We know the market is fragmenting while our universities are producing thousands more law graduates every year. We have apprentices to add to the ranks of paralegals and businesses looking to cherry pick the profitable work. More resources are being tied up to comply with the ever evolving regulatory requirements. Technological developments mean that we can be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information and data, which in turn is more complex to manage. Some clients expect instant responses for minimum costs plus the banks are wary of the sector.

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JAC Lifts the Fog on the Tyne – 00937: Deputy District Judge (Civil)

The JAC held a seminar in Newcastle to encourage and inform candidates about the 2014/15 DDJ(Civil) competition and shared some very helpful insights that I have tried to capture and highlight below.

DJ Chris Simmonds told a great story about how the DJ bench are the engine room for the judiciary. He talked about what it was really like sitting as a DJ, the challenges, the myths and the great support. He also told us about career development and that 5 of his DJ colleagues had applied and moved to the circuit bench.

Sarah Gane from the JAC then shared some thought provoking statistics: they recruit between 500 & 600 candidates each year for the main judicial posts as well as for 29 MOJ tribunals. She also encouraged the audience to investigate and consider other sitting options as well as the MOJ tribunals. Candidates could make very positive contributions and gain excellent experience via these positions.

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Has the Judicial Appointments Commission Created a Level Playing Field for Solicitors?

Depending on the actual judicial post, competition is increasing with the applications to posts ratios ranging from 8:1 to 21:1. So for some competitions you have to be in the top 5% of candidates. No recruitment process is perfect and with the talent applying for both the salaried and fee paid positions the reality is that many very good candidates won’t even make it to the selection day. With HMCTS in the process of cutting 37.8% from their budget and various policies seeking to reduce the work that reaches the courts and tribunals, it seems realistic that the number of sitting opportunities will be reduced. Add this to concerns in both professions and we can expect to see more candidates seeking fewer jobs.

So you have a choice:

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Interviews: The Answer Lies Within

“You are hugely resourceful and inspiring and I do believe you add value. Also I love that you are personable and grounded and tell it “just as it is”. –  Client May 2014

Sometimes you learn things from unexpected places. Last summer I was in New York and, having been persuaded by my son, I reluctantly ended up going to a Lego exhibition! But it was no ordinary Lego exhibition it was brilliant, challenging and thought provoking art by a former corporate lawyer Nathan Sawaya.

I’ve been running a number of workshops recently and one to one interview coaching sessions.

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