Pay 'hampering High Court recruitment'

Successful lawyers may stop regarding a move to become a High Court judge as a viable career option, due to a pay issue that has stalled earnings, according to a leading judge.

Adrian Jack, who is a Supreme Court justice in Gibraltar, says recent increases to the pay earned by leading barristers have the salaries paid to judges trailing in their wake.

In an article published in Counsel magazine, the former barrister says judges are now taking home less money than they were eight years ago.

Although a High Court judge's gross annual pay is almost £178,000, they take home less than £100,000 a year, he says.

And while a 58-year-old High Court judge will be taking home just over £97,000, pension changes mean one who is 10 years younger will be pocketing just £85,300, the expert suggests.

Mr Justice Jack says the pay crunch has pushed High Court recruitment to crisis point and could result in lawyers ceasing to view a career on the bench as an attractive option.

Copyright Press Association 2015