Judicial Posts
Judicial appointments coaching and interview training
Applying for judicial appointment is an increasingly competitive process. We are committed to providing the highest quality of professional assistance to those who wish to maximise their chances of success in securing a judicial post. Our services are comprehensive, whether initially advising on making a judicial application, assisting in drafting an application form, preparing for an online qualifying test, or coaching for the final selection day panel interview, situational judgement test, presentation or role play.
We understand that a competency-based system for selection may be challenging, particularly for those who have not undertaken an assessment process or interview for some time. We also recognise it can be frustrating for a high-performing professional to find it difficult to satisfy the various demands of the highly structured method of assessment employed by the Judicial Appointments Commission and other similar bodies.
In response, we offer our clients an unparalleled level of engagement and support. Through insightful coaching sessions, we will shed light on exactly how the judicial appointments process may be successfully navigated. At the same time, our approach to judicial appointments training is both rigorous and motivating; we ensure our clients fully appreciate what is required of them at each stage of the competition, and spur them on to give of their very best throughout.
Our clients are more than twice as likely to be successful in their applications compared to a typical applicant. In recent years, each year, approximately 15 newly appointed High and Deputy High Court Judges have been our clients.
Judicial appointments application services
We work with you on your application form with only one clear goal: that, at final draft, we arrive at a point of consensus that your candidature could not be presented to better effect.
• Assistance with each section of your application form
• Careful selection of your referees to ensure your candidature receives maximum support
• Identification of relevant competency examples drawn from the breadth of your professional experience
• Assistance in presenting those examples in your application form to gain maximum competency ratings
• In-depth assistance with content, style and editing up until final draft
Judicial appointments interview training
We work with you on interview preparation until you deliver a compelling and persuasive mock interview.
• Discussion of the competency examples listed in your application form
• An insight into exactly what the interview panel will be looking for
• Advice on how to persuasively deploy competency examples from within and outside of your application form
• Advice on how to respond effectively to situational judgement tests
• An opportunity to undertake a competency-based mock interview (and situational judgement test)
• Assistance in preparing for any role-play or presentation relevant to the specific selection exercise
An initial one-to-one coaching session (via Zoom) lasts approximately 2.5 hours. We will compile a list of questions for you to prepare in advance, pertinent to the examples you have provided in your application form. During the initial coaching session, we will focus on the questions on the list which you have found more difficult to answer.
A second one-to-one coaching session (in-person) lasts approximately 2.5 hours. It provides an opportunity to practise a range of questions followed by a full-scale mock interview. The focus is on refinement of the content of your answers and your presentation.
Coaching session and fee arrangements
Coaching sessions are held via Zoom except when immediately in advance of an in-person interview. In-person coaching sessions are held at our London offices at Temple.
Appointments may be arranged for any point during the day, including after court.
Clients vary in the degree and nature of the assistance they require, and advisory and coaching activities are tailored to meet the specific needs of each individual. Therefore, fees are calculated at an hourly rate, with estimates provided whenever possible.
From 1 January 2021, we have adopted a two-tier fee structure in response to the very different earning levels of our clients in recent years.
From 1 January 2026, the company’s standard hourly rate is £450 + VAT.
For those clients with gross salary or earnings of less than £100,000, a reduced hourly rate of £200 + VAT will apply.
To find out more about our services on an entirely no obligation basis, please contact Julian McCombe on 07971 119 390 or, preferably, by email at julianmccombe@qcappointments.co.uk