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Source: UK Judiciary
[Nadiya: the interviewer] The United Kingdom has one of the oldest and most well-respected legal systems in the world. There are many specialist areas. In two previous films, I visited the court that deals with employment issues. I met a specialist employment judge and a lay member. I'm now visiting His Honour Judge Mukherjee at Birmingham Crown Court. To learn about a different area of law.
[Judge Mukherjee] My name's Avik Mukherjee. I'm a Circuit Judge. I sit at Birmingham Crown Court. I was appointed as Circuit Judge in 2015. It's a wonderful job. It's a privileged position. It has to beconducted with a great deal of humility. There is huge responsibility as you can imagine. It's a bit like being a referee in a football match. You ensure that everyone plays by the rules. But at the same time make sure everyone has a fair hearing.
[Judge Mukherjee enters court]
[Court Staff; in background] Court rise.
[Nadiya] Can you tell us something of your background and how you became interested in the law?
[Court Staff; in background] Your Honour, this is the case of Conrad Butler.
[Judge Mukherjee] I went to a state school in Huddersfield in Yorkshire. I then did my degree at, what is now, Nottingham Trent University. I remember when I was 14, I watched a TV program and it was about a District Attorney in the States. And I watched this program and I thought that looks like a really interesting job to be able to speak to these people, who I now understand was the jury,didn’t then, and try and convince them that his client was innocent. And so the first seeds of becoming a lawyer were planted when I was about 14. So I realized I had to do well in education, armed with my A-levels, I went to do a law degree. I had no connections with the law at all—no family or friends who were lawyers that I could go to. I just decided that law was the degree for me and went to Nottingham. An invaluable part of my degree was that I spent nine months working for the Crown Prosecution Service in Nottingham. And I think it was during that nine month period that I realized that this was the profession that I wanted to go into. I wanted to become a barrister.
[Judge Mukherjee: on the phone] All right. Thanks a lot. Bye.
[Nadiya] What kind of skills do you need to become a judge?
[Judge Mukherjee] There are certain attributes that are required to be a judge. You have to have command over a courtroom. So authority is incredibly important. It's a difficult balancing exercise to balance humility and authority, but it can be done and it's essential that it is done and that I do it every day. I find that it's very important to make sure that I check myself and remember that although I have to control the environment and ensure that everyone gets a fair crack of the whip, and that's why the authority is important. But at the same time, just to check myself and remember that this process isn't about me. It's about making sure, ultimately, that everyone has a fair say, and that the jury is given all the right tools to be able to make the right, what they believe is the right decision.
[Nadiya] Is the judiciary changing in any way?
[Judge Mukherjee] When I joined the bar in 1990, most barristers, I have to say, were white and male and middle class, and well over 90 odd percent of the judges that I appeared in front of were of a similar culture and background. Our judiciary, as years go by, is going to change so it reflects more the society that it's meant to represent;in particular, in a city like Birmingham, which has a huge diverse population. Because what we need is our judiciary to look like our public, and although great changes have been made, it's nowhere near enough. But changes have started and I'm confident that the next generation will bring those changes on to another level so that when someone from a deprived background comes into court, or someone from a different country, different culture, different religion comes in to court they might be able to see a courtthat looks more familiar to them than it did when I started out working in 1990.
[Nadiya] Can you describe a typical day?
[Judge Mukherjee] It's a tiring day because the level of concentration throughout the day, as I say to jurors, it's the same for a judge because I have to have an eye on everything that's going on. There are so many different people in a courtroom and so many different things that can go wrong. Whether it's coming from the jury, the defendant, the public gallery, a witness, counsel, the court staff. I have to have an eye on everything all at the same time. Which makes every day exciting, different, invigorating, but it's also quite draining by the end of the day. So I look forward to going home and just having downtime as well.
[Judge Avik Mukherjee sits at his desk typing on his keyboard.]
[Judge Mukherjee] I have to get dressed up every day to go to work. We have special shirts that have holes at the front and back so we can put studs through, which allows us to put wing collars on. These are the sort of dress collars that people often wear to weddings and things like that, but we get to wear them every day as a barrister and now as a judge. So I put a wing collar on; these are called bands and these wrap around the collar. I have to get dressed up for work every day. So this is the judges gown. Very, very traditional. Lawyers have been wearing wigs and gowns for years, hundreds of years. And barristers’ gowns are a lot more somber, they're just black. They also wear bands and a wing collar as we do, but judges get to wear these beautiful robes that have vibrant colours. And not that I would, but if I ever managed to forget what job I'm doing, I only have to look at these cuffs to remind me, which I see every day.
And then finally, I get to put my wig on. Which we wear when we're going to the Crown Court, almost always. A lot of tradition, but also gives anonymity as well. There's talk of getting rid of wigs and gowns in court. But I think there's something about walking into a courtroom and you see the advocates and the judge in wigs and gowns that certainly brings that formality to the proceedings. It can be intimidating, but it doesn't need to be, and that's part of the judges job and the advocate's job, to make sure that people aren't intimidated just because they see people in wigs and gowns. It's tradition. Many traditions have fallen by the wayside; this is one of the things that hasn't. I'm obviously very pleased that it hasn't because I get to dress up every day to go to work.But it also allows me a huge amount of anonymity. I've left court, and when I leave court, I tend to just put on jeans and trainers and a jacket to go home and people, that I know reasonably well, haven't recognized me because I'm not wearing this outfit. So that's another reason why I hope it carries on.
This wig costs in the region of about eight to nine hundred pounds. We have full bottom wigs, which are the ones with the spaniel ears, they cost about three and a half thousand pounds. We don't get that given by the way. I was given my full bottom wig by a retired judge, who was my pupil supervisor when I first joined chambers back in 1990, and he very generously gave me his as a gift. Being given that wig by my old pupil supervisor was a big deal because he was my real professional mentor, and he's now a very good friend. And I know that it gave him a lot of pride to be able to give that wig to me because it meant a lot to him. It's probably over a hundred, as I say, over a hundred years old now. And it's been handed down through several generations of judges and I'm the latest one. But that's a big deal. Yes, it's only a wig, but it symbolizes a great deal. Not just personally because of who wore it before me, but also professionally—that this is a profession that's been going on for many, many years and is integral to our system. We're not the most important people in the courtroom, but the system wouldn't function if there weren't judges in the courtroom. And so that's an amazing feeling to be part of that specialized group of people.
[Nadiya] What advice would you give to students interested in a legal career?
[Judge Mukherjee] Work hard. It's a means to an end. You have to do it. You have to get certain qualifications to give yourself a fighting chance to become a barrister because it is so competitive, but there is space if you make sure that you present yourself as someone who can't be ignored. But it starts with working hard I'm afraid—Forging relationships along the way,drive and determination.
[Nadiya] Are there any subjects you would recommend focusing on?
[Judge Mukherjee] I think as an A-level student I would say, do what interests you, because that tends to end up with the higher grades. You don't have to do a law A-level to become a lawyer. There will come a time when you have to do a law degree, whether it's a full-time degree or a conversion degree. But generally speaking, I think at A-level stage just do something that you think interests you and is going to get the best grades for you. But your degree is going to have to be a good one, not necessarily a first, but certainly a 2:1 if you want any prospect of ending up in the profession, whether it's as a solicitor or as a barrister.
[Nadiya] Do you have any final thoughts for us?
[Judge Mukherjee] It's a great job being a judge. I feel excited to come to work every day, perhaps in a way that I didn't after 25 years at the bar. That that was an amazing job as well. But being able to see the whole process from a completely different point of view has invigorated me. To be able to have a role in helping people through the process of a Crown Court trial, in particular the jury, is an essential part of our system,and I feel very privileged to be able to be a part of the system. And to be able to do that on a daily basis, it is wonderful.
[Nadiya] His Honour Judge Mukherjee has shared his insights into life at a Crown Court and described his enthusiasm for justice. I hope you have found this series of films interesting. Perhaps you might consider a career in the legal profession. There are a huge variety of exciting opportunities available.