Number of vacancies: One
Location: London
Salary: £123,213
Closing date: noon on 4 November 2014

Candidates MUST have a high level of expertise in the field of land registration law and practice.

The Chamber
The Property Chamber is concerned with almost two hundred separate jurisdictions dealing with property rights and landlord and tenant relationships. Most of the work of the Land Registration Division is referred to it by the Land Registry. Additionally the division deals with rectification applications and Network Access Agreement appeals.

Land Registration cases are heard by specialist judges sitting alone. Site inspections are undertaken in most of the division’s cases. Cases can be both factually and legally complex, taking an average of two days to be heard. Appeal lies to the Upper Tribunal (Tax and Chancery Chamber) subject to a permission filter.

The role
The Principal Judge for the Land Registration Division of the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) holds an important judicial leadership and management role.

The Principal Judge is the point of contact with the Land Registry (LR) and is expected to engage in regular meetings with the LR to ensure the smooth running of the jurisdiction.

The primary requirements of the Principal Judge are:

• Sitting as a judge of the First-tier Tribunal and in particular sitting on cases of complexity and for the purpose of resolving issues of principal and practice;
• Playing a part in the judicial leadership of the Chamber which includes: membership of the Chamber’s Management Board; membership of its Jurisdictional Board; chairing at least one of its sub -committees, and attending other meetings as required. On occasion the Principal Judge may be asked to deputise for the Chamber President
• Advising judicial colleagues in relation to more problematic cases; seeking to ensure uniformity of judicial practice; and providing assistance of a more pastoral nature as and when required.
• Organising and developing training programmes within the jurisdiction and continuing to develop performance appraisal, mentoring and mediation and judicial work shadowing and marshalling.

Should the successful candidate for this vacancy also satisfy the statutory eligibility requirements for the Upper Tribunal, of having seven post-qualification experience, he or she may be appointed as a Deputy Judge of the Upper Tribunal (Tax and Chancery) Division and will be required to sit in the Upper Tribunal for up to 10 days a year.

The person
The Principal Judge position is open to solicitors, barristers and Fellows of CILEx in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, advocates or solicitors in Scotland, with five years post qualification experience (PQE).

The Deputy Judge post is open to solicitors and barristers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, advocates or solicitors in Scotland, with seven years post qualification experience (PQE).

The Lord Chancellor expects that candidates for salaried posts will have sufficient directly relevant previous judicial experience. Only in exceptional cases and if the candidate in question has demonstrated the necessary skills in some other significant way should an exception be made.

The meaning of “directly relevant experience” is sitting as a judge in a salaried or fee-paid capacity. For fee-paid judges this should be for a period of at least two years or 30 sitting days since appointment.

Full details including a job description, information pack and terms and conditions are now on JAC website.