Judicial Profiles - Tribunal President
The president is responsible for the day-to-day judicial administration of their tribunal. Tribunal presidents act as a vital link between the senior president of the Tribunals Service, the judicial officers of their tribunal, and the senior judiciary outside the Tribunals Service - especially in the case of presidents who are High Court judges.
Where they sit and what they do
Most tribunals are headed by a tribunal president. For the larger tribunals the president is usually either a High Court judge or circuit judge.
Tribunal presidents lead the jurisdiction of their tribunal, taking an active role in ensuring jurisprudential and practical consistency both in decision-making and in the setting and interpretation of practice and procedure throughout their tribunal.
The presidents normally hear those cases which raise the most difficult, novel and complex issues, and those which raise issues of practice and procedure in that tribunal which are of general interest and for which binding guidance is desirable.
Where a particular tribunal sits in panels, the presidents will ensure that the approach to panel composition is such that, as far as practicable, cases are allocated to the members with the most relevant experience and expertise.
Each president will also consider carefully their tribunal’s requirements regarding recruitment and appointments in relation to the nature and number of the anticipated workload in that tribunal, and will then ensure that these requirements are communicated to those responsible for appointments.
Appointments
Tribunal presidents are usually selected from the ranks of serving circuit judges or High Court judges.
Working dress
Tribunal presidents wear normal business suits.