With the review’s call for evidence now well and truly closed, a rough portrait is beginning to emerge of the reviews to be made by Tottenham MP David Lammy’s investigation into biases against and representation of black and minority ethnic (BAME) individuals in the British criminal justice system. At the top of the pile appears to be the underrepresentation of diverse lawyers at the level of the judiciary, where BAME judges currently make up just 5 per cent of the bench. In particular, the review plans to scrutinise barriers to advancement for aspiring BAME judges, rather than barriers to entry into the legal profession: ‘Relative to other professions, we have in our country a bank of BAME lawyers. What we have not seen is progress to the bench. That is what I want to look at very closely,’ said Mr Lammy, himself a Harvard-educated former barrister. The review’s full report is scheduled to be published next summer.

Source: Law Gazette