The Law Society Gazette reports that lord chief justice Lord Judge told a senior salary review body that judges will defy the ‘understanding’ that a judgeship is for life, if the pension cuts are pushed through.

Lifetime appointment

Full-time judges are barred from legal practice while in post, and their terms of service add that the lord chancellor regards a judgeship as a lifetime appointment.
According to the report, judges would see a cut in pension benefits of between 34 per cent and 46 per cent if the planned changes go ahead after April 2015.
Lord Judge suggested that the plans will make recruitment difficult and also affect the quality of the justice system.