Sitting in judgment - the working lives of judges

Penny Darbyshire

Research output: Contribution to conferenceLecture / Speechpeer-review

Abstract

Penny will discuss the research reported in this book (Hart Publishing, 2011). This was a wide and deep observational project on the working lives of judges at every level of the English legal system, from district judges to the UK Supreme Court, in all six circuits and in family, civil and criminal courts. The project's aims were to find out what judges were like and what they did. The unique method used was work-shadowing 40 core-sample judges and interviewing a further 37. The project took over seven years and the author was allowed unlimited access to information. She sat next to the judges on the bench, travelled on circuit with High Court judges and was permitted to observe and report on the deliberations of appellate judges. The result provides an unparalleled insight. In this paper, Professor Penny Darbyshire gives an account of the research, using this unique method, and outlines her main findings on the judges' working personalities, their approach and attitudes to work, court users and their working environment.
Original languageEnglish
Publication statusPublished - 2014
Externally publishedYes
EventGuest lecture - Birmingham, U.K.
Duration: 3 Mar 20143 Mar 2014

Seminar

SeminarGuest lecture
Period3/03/143/03/14

Bibliographical note

Impact: This presentation, to the members and case workers of the CCRC, demonstrates the impact of this 2011 book, of the same title, plus the practitioner impact of empirical research reported at "Judicial Case Management in Ten Crown Courts" [2014] Crim. L.R. 30.

Organising Body: Criminal Cases Review Commission

Keywords

  • Law

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