At least four senior judges have resigned from the men-only Garrick Club, the Judicial Office has said, as men in the legal profession come under increasing pressure over their close association with an organisation that has repeatedly blocked attempts to allow women to join.
The office confirmed that the appeal court judge Keith Lindblom and the high court judges Nicholas Cusworth, Nicholas Lavender and Ian Dove had resigned.
A spokesperson added that it was possible more had done so but had not reported such to the Judicial Office, which provides training and human resources advice to the judiciary in England and Wales.
The four judges were among dozens in the legal profession now known to have been members. Their number included a further four appeal court judges, five more high court judges, dozens of serving and retired judges, current and former ministers in the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and numerous senior solicitors.
The issue is now being taken seriously at the highest levels of the judiciary. The lady chief justice, Sue Carr, who is the president of the courts and head of the judiciary of England and Wales, said the revelations about judges’ membership of the Garrick underlined the need to continue work to improve inclusivity in the profession.
In an internal message sent to judges, she wrote: “You will have seen the recent media coverage relating to judicial members of the Garrick Club. I am alive to the issues raised, which I take very seriously. I wish to emphasise my commitment to diversity and inclusivity across the judiciary. We must continue our vital work in this area including delivering on the work outlined in our diversity and inclusion strategy.”
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