Every matter you handle as a solicitor ends up in front of a decision-maker — whether a Supreme Court Justice, a circuit judge, a bench of lay magistrates, or a tribunal judge. Knowing who they are, how they reached the role, and what keeps them independent and impartial is part of the everyday craft of practice. It tells you how to address the court, when you can challenge a judge for bias, and where a complaint should really go.
This lesson builds that picture from the ground up.
- The Judiciary and Its Structure — the two types of decision-maker, the court hierarchy, and the reforms that reshaped the judiciary.
- Judicial Independence and Security of Tenure — why independence matters and the mechanisms that protect it, including how judges can be removed.
- Judicial Appointments — how candidates are selected, the duties governing selection, and eligibility for the highest courts.
- The Senior Courts and Judges — who sits where, the divisions of the High Court, and how each judge is correctly addressed.
- Bias, Recusal and Complaints — the test for apparent bias, when a judge must step down, and where complaints belong.
- Lay Magistrates and Legal Advisers — the volunteers who handle most criminal work and the lawyers who advise them.
- Tribunals — the two-tier structure and who leads it.