This is the fifth report in a series that started in 2014 and covers all salaried and fee-paid judicial office-holders in the three separate jurisdictions of England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
94% of salaried Judges in courts, 95% in Tribunals, and 90% of coroners responded.
During those ten years and five surveys:
a majority has said that their pay and pension entitlement does not adequately reflect the work that they have done and will do before retirement.
salaried Judges have limited post-judicial employment opportunities as once they have taken up a salaried post, it is on the basis that they never return to practice and during their appointment, salaried Judges are not allowed any other form of paid work.
Despite these constraints, there has been an increase in salaried judges in all three jurisdictions planning to leave the judiciary early within the next five years, that is now the next four years, that is by 2029 as this survey was based on 2024 information.
There has been an increase in those who are financially restricted by these constraints stating that they would leave the judiciary if it was a viable option financially.
Dissatisfaction with pay and pensions has lessened over the ten-year period and thus, the reasons for an increase in Judges planning to retire early lies elsewhere.
Pride and Respect
Almost all Judges feel that they provide an important service to society and feel a strong personal attachment to being a member of the judiciary and are satisfied with the sense of achievement, the variety of the work, and the challenge of the work.
However, 64% of Judges were extremely concerned by the loss of respect for the judiciary from the Government, which is an alarming statistic.
Just 9% felt valued by the Government, but almost all Judges felt valued by the legal profession and the parties who appeared before them (81% to 93%).
Remarkably slightly more – 10% – felt valued by the media as compared with being valued by the Government.
Working Conditions
Safety
There has been a substantial increase in the last two-years in Judges’ concerns for their personal safety in court, up from 27% to 39% and out of court up from 19% to 26%.
63% of District Judges were concerned for their personal safety in court and amongst civil District Judges, that figure is 68.9%.
Buildings
Less than a quarter of the judiciary regarded maintenance as good.
Only a third rate the physical quality of buildings is good.
37% regarded the quality of the buildings as poor or unacceptable.
50% rated the maintenance of court buildings as poor or unacceptable.
45% rated the amount of administrative support as poor or unacceptable.
The levels of dissatisfaction were significantly higher for District Judges and Circuit Judges as compared with other branches of the Judiciary.
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In the High Court (Family Division), 90% of Judges responded that the amount of administrative support was poor or unacceptable with 58% stating that the quality of that administrative support was also poor or unacceptable.
Amongst District Judges, 72% rated the morale of court staff as poor or unacceptable with 45% rating the morale of judicial colleagues as poor or unacceptable.
Workload
The figures for those ranking their workload as too high over the previous 12 months was:
Area coroners – 70%;
Senior coroners – 63%;
Circuit Judges – 60%;
First Tier Tribunal Judges – 59%;
District Judges – 50%;
Employment Judges – 45%;
District Judges – Magistrates’ Courts – 46%;
Senior Circuit Judges – 41%.
Computer Equipment
As to the hardware, there is a very marked difference in attitude between full-time Judges and part-time Judges with full-time Judges broadly satisfied with the hardware but 64% of part-time Judges saying it was poor or non-existent.
This is probably explained by the fact that part-time Judges are comparing the judicial resources with their own, much better and more up to date equipment in their offices or chambers.
Across the full-time and part-time Judges, there was widespread dissatisfaction with the availability, quality and speed of technical support for computer equipment.
Remote Hearings
33% of Employment Judges and 31% of Circuit Judges sitting in crime and 25% of civil District Judges felt that they were spending too much time on remote hearings.
Overall, a majority of full- and part-time Judges felt that they were spending about the right time on remote hearings.
STRESS
This is perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the report and highly disturbing for society and the maintenance of the Rule of Law.
99% full-time Judges reported stress;
94% of part-time Judges reported stress.
The figures for those reporting extreme or very high levels of stress are:
Senior coroners – 46%;
Circuit Judges – 32%;
Family Division High Court Judges – 32%;
King’s Bench Division High Court Judges – 28%;
Senior Circuit Judges – 27%;
All others – approximately – 25%.
Stress Symptoms
Sleep disturbance – 77%;
Irritability – 57%;
Headaches – 52%;
Muscle Tension – 43%;
Lack of concentration – 37%;
Burn-out – 30%;
Increased sense of isolation – 29%;
Intolerance of others – 27%;
Altered societal habits – 26%;
Stomach upsets – 25%
Reasons
Lack of personal time due to work pressures – 58%;
Lack of acceptable work/life balance – 53%;
Too much screen time – 49%;
Case management pressures – 41%;
Dealing with technology – 39%.
538 Judges had taken sick days for stress in the previous two-years.
Retention and Recruitment
These responses feed into many Judges feeling that they are working under extra pressure with high workloads in unacceptable buildings with little administrative and IT support and growing concerns about their personal safety.
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The report refers to a
“looming retention and recruitment crisis in the judiciary in England and Wales, with an increasing number of salaried Judges intending to leave the judiciary by 2029 which outstrips the number of fee-paid [part-time] Judges considering applying for a salaried judicial post. This comes at a time when courts are facing record backlogs”
Retention
39% of all full-time Judges intend to leave the judiciary early by 2029; this is over two-thirds up on the 2014 percentage.
Concerns about some aspects, such as pay, pensions, and training, have lessened over the last ten years, and key features now are stress, personal safety, high workloads, court backlogs and use of IT.
699 full-time Judge intend to leave early by July 2029.
Only 91 others will reach compulsory retirement age during that time, so those choosing to leave early dwarfs those serving out their term by around 7.7 to one.
327 part-time Judges are undecided about whether to leave early by 2029.
That gives a minimum of 790 with a possibility of 1,117 Judges leaving by July 2029.
Just 16% of part-time Judges, that is 588, are considering applying for a full-time post.
62% of Judges in Scotland are retiring early and 56% in Northern-Ireland and 39% in England and Wales.
Statistics
As in all surveys, statistics can be misleading.
For example, ten years ago, 86% felt that their working conditions were worse than two-years previously.
That is now down to 61%, an apparent improvement, but in reality, a serious worsening as the base has become much worse.
Clearly there comes a point, and maybe we are approaching it, when things are so bad that they cannot get worse.
For example, the stress level of 99% can only become worse in the next survey if it hits 100%, and that would show an increase of just over 1% but it would mean that every single Judge in the UK felt under stress and we are very close indeed to that position already.
So, these reports – extremely valuable as they are – report a two-year on two- year analysis and must be read and considered in that context.
A question as how working conditions compare now as with ten years ago would no doubt produce an extremely high negative figure.
Just 7% of full-time Judges think working conditions are now better than they were two years ago.
Case Work
70% of part-time Judges felt that their case workload was acceptable as compared with 48% of full-time Judges.
Those full-time Judges with the highest responses of having too much case work were:
Circuit Judges – 60%;
First Tier Tribunal Judges – 59%;
District Judges – 57%;
Employment Tribunal Judges – 47%.
Non-Case Workload
Only full-time Judges were surveyed.
48% of Senior Circuit Judges felt it was too high;
40% of Civil District Judges felt that it was too high.
The difference between full-timers and part-timers is probably explained by the fact that part-timers are sitting only around one fifth of the time compared with full-timers, so a heavy workload for 20% of one’s working life as compared with 100% is much less likely to feel like too much.
Leaving the Judiciary if they could return for practice
The percentage of full-time Judges saying that they would leave the judiciary if they could return to practice has risen from 23% in 2014 to 39% in 2024, an increase of 69.56%.
The areas where the highest percentages would leave are:
Circuit Judges – 45%;
District Judges – 43%;
First Tier Tribunal Judges – 43%.
Judicial Work outside sitting hours
Part-time Judges were asked to respond to this question.
Few thought that the amount of time required to do judicial work outside of sitting hours – writing up Judgments, reading papers etc – was reasonable, and this again is no doubt leading to only a small percentage considering applying for full-time judicial posts.
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The percentages thinking that the outside sitting else workload is reasonable are:
First Tier Tribunal Judges – 16%;
Deputy High Court Judge – 17%;
Upper Tribunal Judges – 21%;
Recorders – 27%;
Employment Judges – 28%;
Deputy District Judges – 35%;
Deputy District Judges – Magistrates Courts – 66%.
These figures are significant. Judges talk to each other, full-time and part-time.
Part-timers already feel that the out of sitting hours work is too much.
Many full-timers would return to practice if allowed.
This all acts as a massive disincentive for part-timers to accept full-time positions, as shown by the figures.
Initial recruitment tends to be to the more junior levels of the judiciary where, no doubt due to underfunding of resources, technology, buildings and staff, dissatisfaction with many areas is at its highest.
The areas where there is most concern, stress, workload, in and out of court, etc, will only get worse if there are fewer Judges as obviously, the pressure increases on those remaining and this creates a vicious circle.
Recruitment and Retention
On 23 May 2025, the Lord Chancellor announced that Judges will get a 4% pay rise as compared with the 4.75% recommended by the Senior Salaries Review Body to address serious recruitment shortfalls and poor morale.
The Senior Salaries Review Body said that there had been a marked rise in Judges’ workloads and security concerns with much of the courts estate in poor condition and nearly half of Judges being “extremely concerned” about the deteriorating state of their own court building.
The body added that persistent issues filling judicial vacancies were a “matter of serious concern” and that campaign to recruit 100 District Judges resulted in only 51 vacancies being filled.
The body also commented about poor morale:
The rise in fears for personal security, inside and outside of court, is troubling. Evidence suggests that judges feel particularly concerned about media harassment, social medical threats and physical violence, often exacerbated when individual judgments are questioned and the independence of the judiciary is challenged.
Another Employment Judge has been issued with formal advice for misconduct after he was found to have delayed providing written reasons for six months and was held to have not exercised sufficient diligence and care in the discharge of this duties.
The Judge had given a full oral Judgment during the hearing and had informed the parties at the hearing that due to work pressures, written reasons were likely to take some time if requested.
Written reasons are not compulsory in most Employment Tribunal cases, but the parties can insist upon them.
The Judge had read his Judgment slowly to allow the parties to take notes, knowing that his extremely busy workload would mean that there would be a delay in producing any written Judgment.
It was accepted that the delay did not cause any detriment.
The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office investigation found that the delay amounted to misconduct.
This is the sixth time in 2025 that the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office has published statements in relation to delay.
In any other walk of life, an Employer who published disciplinary proceedings against an Employee would face an immediate constructive dismissal case which the Employer would be bound to lose.
The supreme irony of this Judge hearing such a case and being bound heavily to criticise an Employer for publishing aspects amounting to misconduct, not warranting any serious sanction, appears to be lost on the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office.
In the Judicial Attitude Survey, Judges are complaining about the way they are treated by this and other bodies.
It is plain and simple bullying and an abuse of power and is a major factor in few people coming forward to be appointed on the judiciary.
These people are supposed to have brains. They may have. They have no common sense.
So, we can only appoint half the Judges that we need to because few are applying. I know – every time they make the slightest mistake, let’s splash it all over the press, undermine them, make them lose confidence, and then we can get the number of Judges suffering from stress up from a paltry, 99% to 100%!
It is possible that there is a single regulator in the United Kingdom worthy of being in office – and actually, the Information Commissioners Office is a beacon of light compared with these other Frankenstein Monsters – but generally, the regulators are out of control, unaccountable and causing great damage to the legal profession, the judiciary, the rule of law and therefore this country.
Civil District Judges
232 out of 451 in post – and out of 418 responses – are potentially leaving by July 2029, that is over half.
Circuit Judges
348 out of 655 – and out of 602 responses – are considering leaving by July 2029, again over half.
In each case, around two-thirds of that figure have made a definite decision to leave with about one-third undecided.
Employment Judges
94 out of 183 are potentially leaving in the next four years with 65 definitely leaving.
Reasons
The reasons which half or more gave for leaving early are:
Increase in workload – 70%;
Limits on pay awards – 63%;
Further demand for out of hours working – 58%;
Stressful working conditions – 50%;
43% cited the lack of respect from the Government.
Factors incurring Judges to remain in their jobs
Three reasons were given by 50% or more of Judges:
Higher remuneration – 79%;
Better Administrative support – 58%;
Reduction in workload – 50%
Stress
In relation to stress, the most frequently cited reasons are:
Workload – 58%;
Work Life Balance – 53%;
Screentime on computers – 49%;
Inherent Nature of Job – 41%;
Dealing with online technology – 39%
Tenure
52% of civil District Judges have been in post for under five years;
65% of Employment Judges have been in post for under five years;
44% of Circuit Judges have been in post for under five years.
Barristers/Solicitors Percentages for each type of Judicial Office
SolicitorsBarristersDistrict Judges – Civil66%34%Circuit Judges16%84%Employment Judges68%31%Senior Circuit Judges12%88%High Court (Chancery)17%83%High Court (Family)0%100%High Court (King’s Bench Division)3%97%Court of Appeal0%100%
Secondary Education
The report itself on this section opens with a statement that previous research highlighted the over-representation in the senior judiciary of those who attended independent fee-paying schools in their secondary education and refers to the Elitist Britain 2019 report by the Sutton Trust.
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Of full-time Judges, just 65% attended a state school.
In all divisions of the High Court, that figure is below 50% and in the Court of Appeal just 32%.
On 18 March 2025, the Master of the Rolls and Head of Civil Justice – The Right Honourable Sir Georffrey Vos, and Lord Justice Colin Birss, Deputy Head of Civil Justice, gave evidence to the Justice Committee of the House of Commons on the work of the County Court.
Their evidence showed a markedly different view as compared with the responses of the judiciary and the Judicial Attitude Survey.
Master of the Rolls
And if I have three priorities, finally, in relation to civil justice, just to lay my cards on the table at the outset, they are first to ensure that paper is removed from the County Court as soon as possible, as it has been in family, so that we can provide accessible digital court-based dispute resolution for citizens and businesses, for those are who we serve. The second aim is to create an integrated pre-court digital justice system that makes maximum use of the existing public and private dispute resolution and advice portals to allow for widespread pre-court, speedy, effective and economical dispute resolution for those same citizens and businesses and, thirdly and finally, that there is a better understanding across government of the huge value of accessible dispute resolution, both to the economy of England and Wales and to the well-being of the same citizens and businesses that I have referred to now three times, justice really should be front and centre in government.
Deputy Head of the Civil Justice
In terms of priorities, I support what the MR has said wholeheartedly. The work of the County Court is of real importance to the economy and to the well-being of particularly vulnerable people. We do need to ensure that paper is removed from the County Court to make our courts as efficient and effective as possible. A pre-action digital justice system is within reach, not as a monolithic system but by the imaginative use of rules and data standards to allow existing providers to integrate the provision which already exists.
Practitioner
”There’s very little research on the County Court. Cases are not reported, and there’s a lack of usable data on a range of important issues, including attendance, representation and outcomes. The County Court has poor management systems and block listing of cases which is predicated on most defendants not attending their hearing. Between 2010 and 2018, the government embarked on a reform programme which resulted in almost half the courts in England and Wales being closed. Courts are now located further apart and often combined, creating huge criminal and civil justice centres. Cuts to the justice budget resulted in the closure of court information counters, reduced administrative staffing and judicial sitting hours. The buildings that remain after the court reform programme are often poorly resourced and dilapidated. The evisceration of Legal Aid, the enactment of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act means people now struggle to find representation.”
Master of the Rolls
… actually in most parts of the country the county courts are running efficiently.
… we would find most county courts delivering a reasonably good service.
The Master of the Rolls said that in the Family Courts, broadly the Judge opens their computer in the morning and it says “Good Morning, Judge” the papers of the day are on the computer.
But they are fed up with the paper and they digitise locally on a fourth system which is simply a pdf file that they have scanned some documents into the system. But of course that does not communicate with the digital system, that does not communicate with CaseMan and you’ve got to have some paper.
MASTER OF THE ROLLS
I think it is only partly correct, actually. There is always, or not always, but in my judicial career, which now spans, I do not know, 16 years, there has always been some recruitment problems at different levels. So, we went through a period in the last decade where the pensions were changed and senior judges were not attracted to the judiciary. So, there was a recruitment problem in the High Court. That was resolved about four years ago, and now we seem to have far less problem recruiting High Court judges than we did.
There are problems recruiting circuit judges, probably to a lesser extent than the problems recruiting district judges, but the main problem is recruiting district judges to serve in London and the South East. I suppose we could all use our own insights to say why that might be. London is expensive to live. The people taking the jobs are not, perhaps … they are probably 40 and over in most cases, and therefore they are looking perhaps for more pleasant places to live. They may have worked in London and lived in an expensive place for some time, and parts of the South East are more deprived than other parts of the UK.
There are all sorts of possible reasons, we do not know. There is a competition going on to recruit district judges only in the South East and London, and I believe they have had a fairly healthy number of applications. So we will have to see what happens at the end of the year when they reveal how many they have been able to appoint.
It is a problem, but I do not believe one should exaggerate it. I think maybe it is slightly … you have to understand what you are talking about. Being a district judge is a great job. Our district judges do a fantastic job. The reason why they do is because they do such a wide variety of work. So, mostly, they do family and they do civil, and that is, you know, a pretty tall order. You have to know two whole areas of expertise. They have got to be able to tackle all those 38 kinds of cases that I mentioned in civil, and they have got to be able to do financial remedies in family, they have got to be able to do care work, they have got to be able to do private law family work. It is a big range, and some solicitors and barristers just do not want to do that as they get older. So, we have to make it as attractive as we can.
There have been all sorts of other issues that you have covered in some of the questions you have posed, like the working environment. They have had a lot of leaks in the roof of the buildings, but HMCTS is really tackling that now, and I believe the programme for repairs is well advanced, but that does not make life very easy for judges.
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They [part-time Judges] do not have the vast experience that District Judges who have been there 20-years do.
The relationship, and I should say this, the relationship between judges in courts and their staff is, almost universally, I can give you two examples where it is not the case, but of the 140 courts is absolutely incredible. They are so loyal, the one to the other, and that makes the system work.
80 percent salaried and, well, in family it is 80 percent salaried and 20 percent fee paid. In civil, it is 60:40 or 63:37, I do not know the exact figures. I would much prefer to see 80:20.
Master of the Rolls
Because mediation, arbitration, ombudspeople, and a whole series of portals are incredibly successful.
Probably not yet, and I do not think enough cases have gone through to see that. I think it is absolutely imperative that we exclude delays and we will only do that by digitising and putting things online, and the sooner we do that, the better. Unfortunately, it is many of the smaller cases and cases brought by vulnerable people that are not digital, because they will bring things on paper, litigants in person, particularly. So that makes it worse.