Clubs such as Garrick can create bias in selecting judges, Bar Council warns

Membership of exclusive clubs can be ‘unfair advantage’ for some lawyers seeking to move into judiciary, says barristers’ body

Exclusive members’ clubs “create the potential for unfair advantage” for lawyers seeking to become judges, the Bar Council has warned, responding to growing unease about senior legal practitioners who are members of the men-only Garrick club.

The professional body for barristers set its comments about “closed doors and exclusionary spaces” against the background of wider concerns over the under-representation of women in the judiciary, and persistent gender disparities in female lawyers’ career progression and earnings.