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You are here:HomeCommunitiesWomen Lawyers DivisionFeaturesA day in the life of a Supreme Court judicial assistant
A day in the life of a Supreme Court judicial assistant
12 February 2014
Applications are currently being invited to work directly for some of the country’s top judges, at the UK Supreme Court in London. Judicial assistant Annabel Lee writes about her experience and recommends that fellow lawyers consider the opportunity.
Every year, the Supreme Court recruits seven new judicial assistants to join its one permanent judicial assistant. The opportunity is open to all qualified solicitors and barristers.
Whatever your legal background, the experience provides first-rate legal training. Being a judicial assistant is a fascinating way of gaining insight into the decision-making process inside the UK’s highest court. My own experience has taught me invaluable lessons about accuracy, legal reasoning and clarity of expression.
Each judicial assistant is assigned to one or two judges. For a large part of the job, judicial assistants undertake legal research on particular points arising out of the cases for their assigned Justices.
Judicial assistants also assist their judges in researching material for public lectures on topical issues. This can vary enormously across different subject areas and topics. The legal issues are often complex, and the answers are rarely clear or straightforward.
Judges often need to know the legal position in other jurisdictions, so on occasion I have delved into the law of America, Canada, Australia and other countries to research the comparative legal position.
The work of the Privy Council, which sits in the same building as the Supreme Court, also adds an interesting dimension to the variety of work available.
One of the best things about the job is having the opportunity to engage in high-level discussion with the judges about important issues of law. Before each hearing, I spend time reading into the papers and then discussing the main issues with my judges.
Judicial assistants are assigned to sit in hearings largely depending on whether their judges are sitting. During the hearing, I sit at the back of the courtroom, listening to oral arguments and making notes. I'm lucky to get to see some of the best oral advocacy in the country, as well as the highest standards of written advocacy on paper.
As the Supreme Court only grants permission to appeal on arguable points of law of general public importance, there are always interesting legal issues. Highlights of the year have included:
a four-day hearing about the right to die
a case about depriving mentally incapacitated individuals of their liberty
a case about the right to obtain information under the freedom of information regime
a case about the high-speed rail link, HS2
After the hearing, I'm always keen to learn the outcome of the appeal. As the court deals with only the most difficult legal issues, there is often disagreement between the judges, and it is always interesting to watch how the positions of individual judges eventually pan out.
Once a judgment is ready to be handed down, a judicial assistant will prepare the press summary for the case. This contains a concise synopsis of the judgment, which is published on the Supreme Court website to improve the court’s accessibility to the public.
A key part of the job also involves dealing with permission to appeal applications. We prepare bench memos - concise summaries of the facts and issues in each application. These go to the Justices when they are considering whether or not to grant permission to appeal.
Judges aside, there is usually plenty of debate to be had between the judicial assistants. Over the course of the year, it has been great getting to know a group of like-minded individuals who share an interest in the law and a propensity to argue! We often bounce ideas off each other over a cup of coffee and some cake.
There are also plenty of opportunities to get involved with the court’s wider outreach programme. This is run by an enthusiastic and dedicated team who aim to make the court more transparent and accessible to the public at large. I had the pleasure of debating the pros and cons of positive discrimination with a lively and engaging group of sixth-form students from east London who came to the court on a school trip.
If you are interested in applying to be a judicial assistant, find out more on the Supreme Court's recruitment website.
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Skip to contentAccessibilityLaw Society homepage
The Law Society Find a Solicitor Gazette Jobs The Gazette CPD Centre Bookshop Events Knowledge Base
Cookies and privacy
Search The Law SocietyFind a Solicitor
AdviceAccreditationRepresentationCommunitiesNewsFor the publicTopics A to Z
You are here:HomeCommunitiesWomen Lawyers DivisionFeaturesA day in the life of a Supreme Court judicial assistant
A day in the life of a Supreme Court judicial assistant
12 February 2014
Applications are currently being invited to work directly for some of the country’s top judges, at the UK Supreme Court in London. Judicial assistant Annabel Lee writes about her experience and recommends that fellow lawyers consider the opportunity.
Every year, the Supreme Court recruits seven new judicial assistants to join its one permanent judicial assistant. The opportunity is open to all qualified solicitors and barristers.
Whatever your legal background, the experience provides first-rate legal training. Being a judicial assistant is a fascinating way of gaining insight into the decision-making process inside the UK’s highest court. My own experience has taught me invaluable lessons about accuracy, legal reasoning and clarity of expression.
Each judicial assistant is assigned to one or two judges. For a large part of the job, judicial assistants undertake legal research on particular points arising out of the cases for their assigned Justices.
Judicial assistants also assist their judges in researching material for public lectures on topical issues. This can vary enormously across different subject areas and topics. The legal issues are often complex, and the answers are rarely clear or straightforward.
Judges often need to know the legal position in other jurisdictions, so on occasion I have delved into the law of America, Canada, Australia and other countries to research the comparative legal position.
The work of the Privy Council, which sits in the same building as the Supreme Court, also adds an interesting dimension to the variety of work available.
One of the best things about the job is having the opportunity to engage in high-level discussion with the judges about important issues of law. Before each hearing, I spend time reading into the papers and then discussing the main issues with my judges.
Judicial assistants are assigned to sit in hearings largely depending on whether their judges are sitting. During the hearing, I sit at the back of the courtroom, listening to oral arguments and making notes. I'm lucky to get to see some of the best oral advocacy in the country, as well as the highest standards of written advocacy on paper.
As the Supreme Court only grants permission to appeal on arguable points of law of general public importance, there are always interesting legal issues. Highlights of the year have included:
a four-day hearing about the right to die
a case about depriving mentally incapacitated individuals of their liberty
a case about the right to obtain information under the freedom of information regime
a case about the high-speed rail link, HS2
After the hearing, I'm always keen to learn the outcome of the appeal. As the court deals with only the most difficult legal issues, there is often disagreement between the judges, and it is always interesting to watch how the positions of individual judges eventually pan out.
Once a judgment is ready to be handed down, a judicial assistant will prepare the press summary for the case. This contains a concise synopsis of the judgment, which is published on the Supreme Court website to improve the court’s accessibility to the public.
A key part of the job also involves dealing with permission to appeal applications. We prepare bench memos - concise summaries of the facts and issues in each application. These go to the Justices when they are considering whether or not to grant permission to appeal.
Judges aside, there is usually plenty of debate to be had between the judicial assistants. Over the course of the year, it has been great getting to know a group of like-minded individuals who share an interest in the law and a propensity to argue! We often bounce ideas off each other over a cup of coffee and some cake.
There are also plenty of opportunities to get involved with the court’s wider outreach programme. This is run by an enthusiastic and dedicated team who aim to make the court more transparent and accessible to the public at large. I had the pleasure of debating the pros and cons of positive discrimination with a lively and engaging group of sixth-form students from east London who came to the court on a school trip.
If you are interested in applying to be a judicial assistant, find out more on the Supreme Court's recruitment website.
WOMEN LAWYERS
HOME
ABOUT US
NEWS AND FEATURES
ADVICE
SUPPORT AND NETWORKING
AWARDS AND LECTURES
CPD EVENTS AND WEBINARS
Related content
Women Lawyers Division
About us
Our historyOffice holdersWho we areAnnual reviewLaw Society CharityRegional workWork in WalesCorporate responsibilityOur constitutionElections
About the website
AccessibilityLegal noticePrivacy statementCookiesData sales for marketing
Careers
Gazette JobsBecoming a solicitorJudicial appointmentsLaw Society vacanciesLaw graduate diploma
Get in touch
Contact usComplaintsUseful numbersOffice locationsAdvertisingFreedom of informationCopyright permissionsData protection
Committee loginVenue Hire
Follow us on Twitter
Copyright 2014 Law Society All Rights Reserved
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