UK supreme court to offer paid internships in diversity drive 

The top court has collaborated with charity Bridging the Bar and eight candidates will be offered a five-day placement.

CEO of the supreme court, Vicky Fox, said, “The court recognises that it has a leadership role to play to support increasing diversity of the judiciary and it is our intention that this programme will support the progression of underrepresented groups into the legal profession and ultimately into judicial roles.

Over the years, the UK judiciary has been criticised for its lack of diversity. White males dominate the senior level of judiciary; 12 Supreme Court justices are white and two are women.

However, the proportion of judges who are women is increasing gradually although women and BAME remain under-represented in judicial roles.

A 2020 report of diversity in the judiciary showed that 32 per cent of all judges in courts were women and 26 per cent of senior roles in the high courts and above were represented by women.

The number of judges who identify as Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) has also increased in recent years but remains lower for court appointments compared to tribunals, particularly at senior levels.