High Court judge (England and Wales)

High Court judges are referred to as puisne justices and wear red and black robes.

Many judges have done this, such as Mr Justice Christopher Clarke (Sir Christopher Simon Courtenay Stephenson Clarke) and Mr Justice Roderick Evans (Sir David Roderick Evans).

This gives them greater security of tenure than if they held office during His or Her Majesty's pleasure, and is designed to protect their independence.

[4] Before the qualifications changed, a typical appointee had in the region of twenty to thirty years' experience as a lawyer.

Only four solicitors had been appointed as puisne judges: Michael Sachs in 1993, Lawrence Collins in 2000, Henry Hodge in 2004, and Gary Hickinbottom in 2008.

Occasionally more junior members of the judiciary are elevated to that rank, such as Mr Justice Crane, who was formerly a Circuit Judge, and Mrs Justice Butler-Sloss (now Baroness Butler-Sloss) who was previously a registrar in the Principal Registry of the Family Division of the High Court.

[6] In 2004, calls for increased diversity among the judiciary were recognised and the qualification period was changed[7][8] so that, as of 21 July 2008, a potential High Court judge must satisfy the judicial-appointment eligibility condition on a seven-year basis.