Professor Lynne Berry has been appointed as the next chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC), which recommends judges for appointments in England and Wales, as well as for tribunals.
Berry replaces Helen Pitcher, who was not reappointed to the post in December 2025 after resigning as chair of the Criminal Cases Review Commission following concerns about the CCRC’s failings in prominent miscarriage of justice cases.
Following a revised application process, two candidates were shortlisted by a panel chaired by Baroness Manningham-Butler, together with former cabinet secretary Lord Gus O’Donnell and the Lady Chief Justice, Baroness Carr, with Lord Chancellor David Lammy making the appointment ahead of the parliamentary recess.
Berry, the chair of governors and chancellor of the University of Westminster, is the current chair of the Human Tissue Authority, among other appointments. She has held numerous non-executive positions, mainly in the public sector as chief executive of the Charity Commission, the Equal Opportunities Commission and the General Social Care Council. She has also worked in the charity sector, supporting social care and voluntary organisations, including the Royal Voluntary Service.
Berry’s appointment follows her appearance before the Justice Select Committee in June, where members quizzed her on her approach to meritocracy, which she described as “measured radicalism”.
Berry said: “Appointment on merit, using fair, open and thorough selection processes, is fundamental to the strength of our judiciary.
“Finding the best people to apply for these important roles means looking as widely as possible for talented candidates and encouraging outstanding individuals from every background and relevant profession to see judicial office as something for them.”
The appointment follows concerns expressed by both the Bar Council and the Law Society about the diversity of the senior judiciary, with the number of Black judges having stalled, a key issue for Bar Council chair, Kirsty Brimelow.
Brimelow said: “We join in congratulating Lynne Berry CBE upon her appointment and look forward to supporting the JAC with our shared aim of ensuring the highest standard of judiciary and one that also is diverse.”
She added: “In particular, the JAC should interrogate reasons for the static progress in the appointment of Black judges, particularly at senior level. The Bench should be open to everyone who meets the required academic and professional standard.”
Law Society president, Mark Evans, agreed, noting: “There is more work to be done on the JAC’s current processes. The JAC should explore with an open mind why it still seems to be the case that, while we have a very diverse pool of applicants entering the JAC’s process, the appointees coming out the other end are significantly less diverse.”
CILEX president Sara Fowler said that legal executives also look forward to the appointment: “The challenge has been made plain by Lord Chancellor David Lammy and Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr with their creation of the Judicial and Legal Diversity Board, and CILEX will play its full part in supporting the agenda.”
She added: “As last week’s annual judicial statistics show, the profile of CILEX’s members is strikingly different from that of solicitors and barristers, and they offer a diversity of perspective that the Bench needs.
“In the meantime, the JAC has acknowledged the need to shorten the length of its selection processes, and so [she] takes on the role with a very full inbox.”
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