Demystifying the Judicial Applications Process - a seminar about people who are disabled or experience mental health conditions
Chaired by His Honour Judge Robert McGinty a highly respected Circuit Judge currently serving on the North Eastern Circuit, based at Kingston-Upon-Hull Combined Court. Appointed as a Circuit Judge in 2022, His Honour Judge McGinty has a distinguished legal career, having been called to the Bar in 1994. His expertise spans various legal areas including Family Law, Civil Law, Court of Protection, Immigration and Asylum Law.
Before his current appointment, His Honour Judge McGinty served as a fee paid First-tier Immigration Judge in Manchester from 2006 and as a Deputy Upper Tribunal Immigration Judge in 2015. He was appointed as a Deputy District Judge from 2015 and as a full time salaried District Judge (Civil and Family) in Stoke-on-Trent in 2018, specialising in complex Family cases. His legal practice as a barrister in Manchester prior to becoming a Judge was notably centred on personal injury, costs, housing and civil fraud cases, where he handled complex, high-value cases for both Claimants and Defendants
In addition to his legal expertise, Judge McGinty has a personal experience of living with a disability, having a left hemiplegia. This has informed his approach to inclusivity and sensitivity, particularly in cases involving vulnerable individuals and those with disabilities and mental health issues.
His Honour Judge McGinty’s leadership extends beyond the courtroom, where he has been instrumental as a Reform Judge in implementing family and civil reforms, particularly in the use of technology within the legal process and the online portals. His contributions to the judiciary are widely recognized, and he is regularly involved in training Family Judges for the Judicial College and helping select new Judges for the Judicial Appointments commission.
For those attending the webinar, Judge McGinty brings a wealth of experience of both the Courts and the Tribunals and a deep understanding of the challenges facing both the judiciary and individuals with disabilities and mental health issues within the legal system.
Speakers
HHJ Fayyaz Afzal CBE is a Circuit Judge. He is the Designated Family Judge for South Yorkshire and sits in Sheffield dealing with Family and Court of Protection cases. He is also a Diversity and Community Relations Judge. He is from Rochdale and the first in his family to go to university having read law at Staffordshire University and studied for the Bar Vocational Course (as it was then) at Manchester Metropolitan University. He was Called to the Bar in 1999 and was only one of a handful of barristers with a visual impairment. He moved to Leicester to undertake pupillage and had a common law practice at New Walk Chambers before moving to No 5 Chambers where he predominantly dealt with family cases. He also sat as a Legal Assessor/Legally Qualified Chair for professional/medical regulators. He became a Deputy District Judge in 2010, a Recorder in 2015, a District Judge in 2017 and a Circuit Judge in 2020. He has a keen interest in diversity and inclusion - his work has been recognised with the award of the OBE in 2008, CBE in 2021 and being included in the Power 100 list of influential disabled people in the United Kingdom. He is a Bencher of Lincoln’s Inn and a senior advocacy tutor. He is very keen to ensure that talented candidates are able to make applications for judicial appointment regardless of background.
DJ Nahied Asjad is currently a District Judge based at Leicester and is ticketed to hear both family and civil cases. Nahied is a dual qualified lawyer, having been admitted to the Roll in 2002 and called to the Bar (Lincoln’s Inn) in 2008. She was appointed a Fee-paid Judge of the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security Chamber) in 2011 and was authorised to sit in the Immigration and Asylum Chamber in 2014. She has also sat extensively in both the Police Appeals Tribunal (appointed in 2014) and on Police Misconduct Panels. Prior to becoming a Judge in 2011, she was a Senior Crown Prosecutor/ Crown Advocate for the Crown Prosecution Service.
DTJ David Chrimes has been a salaried Tribunal Judge in the Social Entitlement Chamber (SEC) since 2021. He started as a Disability Qualified Member of the SEC in 2018 and was appointed as a Fee-Paid Tribunal Judge in 2019. David is a member of the SEC’s D & I Committee. He is also the Comms Lead on the Judicial Diversity Committee and edits the Judicial D & I Newsletter.
In his earlier career David practiced mostly in the Crown Court, spending over 20 years with the CPS, where he led the FDA Trade Union, specialising in representing members in equality cases and chaired the CPS Disability Network. He was also a member of two government advisory committees; the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) and the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee.
David is disabled, having visual, mobility and dexterity impairments.
DDJ Beccy McGregor grew up in Carlisle in the far North of England. At 2 years old, she was diagnosed with the genetic, chronic lung condition Cystic Fibrosis. She attended a local Comprehensive School. She graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2001 and qualified as a solicitor in a high street law firm, before joining the Crown Prosecution Service. There, Becky worked as an advocate in the Crown Court as a Crown Advocate for a number of years. In 2021 Becky decided to apply her experience of living with a disability, and obtained her first judicial appointment as a lay, Disability Qualified Member in the First-tier Tribunal Social Entitlement Chamber. In 2022, she became a Deputy District Judge, a Fee paid Tribunal Judge in the First-tier Tribunal Social Entitlement Chamber and Employment Judge, following successful applications. She has since left the Crown Prosecution Service to concentrate upon advancing her judicial career.
A speaker from the Judicial Appointments Commission will focus on the process of applying for a judicial appointment, and what systems are in place to remove barriers so as to encourage applications from all candidates.
United Kingdom