The Organisation of the Judiciary

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2. The organisational structure is premised on the following:

  1. The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and the Concordat vest in the Lord Chief Justice, as Head of the Judiciary of England and Wales, very considerable responsibilities in respect of the judiciary and of the business of the courts of England and Wales of which he is President.
  2. The Lord Chief Justice carries out these responsibilities through the Judicial Executive Board and the Judges’ Council.
    1. The primary function of the Judicial Executive Board, a permanent judicial body convened by the Lord Chief Justice, is to make general executive decisions as set out below
    2. The primary function of the Judges’ Council, a body broadly representative of the judiciary as a whole, is to inform and advise the Lord Chief Justice as set out below.
  3. Day to day responsibilities are delegated to sub-committees of the Judicial Executive Board established to cover each of the three main jurisdictions and to individual judges based on clear definitions of responsibilities.
  4. The Lord Chief Justice and the Heads of Division sit for the greater proportion of their time. Spread over the term the Lord Chief Justice spends 2/3 days a week on judicial cases and the other Heads of Division spend 3 days a week on judicial cases.
  5. The Judicial Office, part of the Directorate of Judicial Offices for England and Wales, headed by the Director, mirrors the responsibilities assigned to the judges organised in jurisdictional teams. It is a significant office with an initial staff of over 60. Full support is provided for the judges with administrative etc responsibilities. The Judicial Studies Board and the Judicial Communications Office are also part of the Directorate.
  6. There is an effective administrative structure on the Circuits responsible to the Presiding Judges which will support the Presiding Judges, Chancery Supervising Judges and Family Division Liaison Judges in discharging the responsibilities delegated to them.

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