The PAJE programme supports talented lawyers from underrepresented groups to feel more equipped, confident and prepared when considering applying for a future judicial role. The judge-led discussion groups will provide additional support to lawyers who are eligible for judicial appointments from the following four underrepresented groups:
- Lawyers with disabilities
- Lawyers from ethnic minority backgrounds
- Women lawyers and/or
- Solicitors and chartered legal executives (both with litigation and non-litigation) and those from a non-litigation background including academic and non-practising barristers
Applications to join a discussion group course will be prioritised for those individuals.
From June, we will be running a virtual discussion group course, with dates outlined below. This discussion group course consists of four judge-led workshops, each lasting for two hours, either held on a weekly or fortnightly basis.
It is expected that you will attend all four workshops to complete a PAJE course and be granted the completion certificate, unless there are exceptional circumstances, which will need to be communicated to your discussion group course lead in advance.
You will also have to attend an IT Tech Support session prior to the course beginning.
Course dates: Wednesday 25 June, Wednesday 02 July, Wednesday 09 July and Wednesday 16 July. IT Support Session: 24 June 2025
The application window will close on 23:59 on 16 June 2025. Any applications submitted after that will not be reviewed.
Please note that the PAJE programme is currently undergoing changes to ensure that the initiative continues to have a positive impact on participants, as well as exploring further developments to enhance the programme. As a result, future rounds for 2025 will be run on a limited basis and only one course option will be available for participants to apply for.
Those that are on the reserve list will be offered places on both the Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter rounds for 2025.