Slow progress is 'no longer good enough': chair of Bar Council of England and Wales
The United Kingdom’s justice ministry has published this year’s official statistics seeking to assist in monitoring patterns and trends in the diversity of England and Wales’ current judiciary, judicial appointments, and legal professions.
According to the annual statistics, since 2015, the number of judges from various ethnic minority backgrounds has gradually risen to 12 percent from seven percent of all judges, while the number of Black judges has remained at one percent.
The annual report covers the following:
The 2025 statistics came with a user guide and quality statement offering background information regarding the judiciary plus relevant definitions, the methodology used, the quality of the statistics, and other information sources.
Barbara Mills, chair of the Bar Council of England and Wales, commented that this year’s statistics showed that much more work needs to be done to improve diversity.
“Every year we are told that there is gradual progress being made towards a more diverse judiciary, but it’s far too slow for Black lawyers and this is no longer good enough,” Mills said in a news release from the bar council.
Mills stressed that genuine progress, across-the-board commitment, support, and investment would help ensure the UK’s judiciary reflects its diverse communities.
“We are concerned that candidates from a minority ethnic background, and in particular Black lawyers, are disproportionately ruled out at each step of the recruitment process,” Mills said in the news release.
“We are told that this data is not statistically relevant,” Mills added. “We disagree. It is relevant and requires scrutiny.”
The bar council’s news release noted that the 2025 report featured expanded data collection on disability, and the Judicial Diversity Forum introduced data on social mobility, considering the kind of school attended.
“We know that there are many people across the legal profession working to have a positive impact on our judicial system and the individuals within it,” Mills said in the news release.
The bar council’s news release noted the recent launch of the UK Association of Black Judges, which Mills attended to discuss her personal experience and express her support for the new group as bar chair and a deputy high court judge.
“To me it is important that we as Black judges show up in a system that doesn't always feel like it shows up for us, to ask hard questions and be part of a respectful solutions-driven conversation,” Mills said.
