Hanning: CILEX lawyers have the required skills
The first CILEX Lawyer to become a recorder has been appointed after eligibility requirements were changed last year.
Nick Hanning has been deployed to the South Eastern Circuit, where he will sit in family.
The government updated the law last year so that suitably qualified CILEX lawyers could apply to become recorders and Upper Tribunal judges, where previously they were unable to apply for posts higher than district judge.
Mr Hanning has been a deputy district judge since 2020.
CILEX described the appointment is “an historic milestone for the profession”, showing that it members have “the training and skills needed to meet the competencies required for these more senior judicial posts”.
Mr Hanning said: “A key part of being a judge is about listening to and evaluating evidence and applying the law to the facts as you find them to be; it is not about how you qualified.
“CILEX lawyers develop these skills as much as solicitors and barristers do and I would strongly encourage others to look at how a judicial role can help advance them and their careers.
“Historically, CILEX lawyers have been slow to push themselves forward but the growing number of judges from our ranks should give them confidence that they belong on the bench in the same way that they now do around partnership tables.”
CILEX chair Professor Chris Bones added: “We congratulate Nick on this major landmark, one achieved purely on merit. He has been a pioneer for the profession in many ways and has all the attributes needed for an appointment like this.
“Increasing the diversity of professional background and perspective on the bench is one of the reasons the government changed the law last year. Nick’s appointment also demonstrates another important step forward for CILEX in achieving equality of opportunity for our members.”
Mr Hanning encouraged CILEX lawyers contemplating applying for judicial appointment in the future to look at how to build the experience they need.
“I’d suggest that one of my strengths is a varied background which has helped me develop empathy and objectivity, whether serving on the CILEX and CILEx Regulation board or volunteering for a variety of pro bono charities.
“There are plenty of opportunities out there in the profession to gain experience beyond the confines of practice.”
A former CILEX president, he specialised in cases involving employment, discrimination and occupational health law while in practice.
He was one of the first chartered legal executives to become a partner at a law firm when it was allowed and one of the first CILEX advocates too.
From 2017 until earlier this year, he was an independent consultant lawyer, working mainly with London firm Anthony Gold. He provided advisory services to law firms through strategic and compliance consultancy DG Legal as well.
He is a former professional member on the board of CILEx Regulation, was a member of the Civil Justice Council between 2018 and 2021, sat on the Litigant in Person Judicial Engagement Group and served on the Bach Commission on Access to Justice.
He has been a dedicated supporter of pro bono work, and chaired the South West Legal Support Trust for more many years. He is a former chair of the CILEx Pro Bono Trust and trustee of Advocate (formerly the Bar Pro Bono Unit).
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