Judges live in ivory towers – or so the myth goes. But with the minimum of publicity, some 45 circuit judges have been going out into their local communities to forge links and break down barriers. They have been celebrating the religious festival of Eid ul-Fitr, attending worship at mosques, heading into council estates to talk to youths at local centres and into inner-city schools.

The scheme across England and Wales is headed by Judge Geoffrey Kamil, a circuit judge at Bradford Combined Court. “This is a time of great change in the attitude of the ethnic minority population towards the legal system,” he says. “As issues of race and religion attain wider publicity, so does our role in maintaining fairness and dealing with minorities and issues affecting them and their communities.”

The judges, called diversity liaison judges, are both the point of reference or contact for communities with the justice system as well as going out into the community to promote their work. “We meet formally or informally, explain what we do and discuss issues, hold social events. And we try to get people involved in the system – because that’s the best way of getting their support.”

Kamil, 64, was appointed to the task initially in the wake of the Bradford riots as a link between those affected and the justice system and to help to sort out problems with people not previously before the courts or turned in by their own families. “It’s not just black or Asian communities ... in many parts of West Yorkshire the white communities are the minorities.”

Kamil’s own family were Romanian immigrants who came to Britain before the First World War. His father was born in the East End and then moved the family to Leeds. “I was a minority myself, racially, culturally and profession-wise.”

One of only three solicitors to be made a circuit judge on his circuit at the time in 1993. He is aware of the need to improve recruitment to the judiciary and to encourage people to apply – whether for a job with the courts, prisons or Crown Prosecution Service – is part of the work. “It’s not just trying to get people to understand the system but persuading them to apply for jobs and get involved. No doubt there is suspicion, largely owing to lack of knowledge – a feeling that they are outsiders and not welcome.”

Kamil, who has two daughters and three granddaughters, has being doing the liaison for eight years. An addict of TV soaps – he uses them in diversity training – classic cars (he drives a Triumph Stag) and sport (golf, swimming and pumping iron), he is ideal for the task of promoting a nonconventional image of the judiciary with the public.

He was the obvious choice therefore to take on the expansion of the scheme when it was put on a more formal and national footing. The appointed judges now have induction training, a conference and a “tool kit”. They share ideas and schemes on a website. They do the work in their spare time but it now commands the interest of ministers. “Suddenly from being an orphan we have three parents – the Ministry of Justice, the Judicial Studies Board and the Courts Service – they all own us,” Kamil says.

As well as the work with communities, the group is consulted on national issues, such as on the wearing of the veil, and has regular contact with bodies such as the Muslim Council of Britain. “I like to think there is now a greater understanding of what we are about ... we used to be in ivory towers. Judges sat and everyone came to us. We were untouchable. But not now. We have a newer and younger judiciary, more aware of what is going on in the wider world and prepared to discuss matters, get involved with the media. Now we go out on focus groups, into the depths of communities to talk to people. It differs from area to area, depending on what the local problems are.”

Drawing people into the system is key. Kamil believes that recruitment to the judiciary is more diverse than it was. When a student at Leeds, there were just two or three students graduating in his year from ethnic minorities. Last year, he says, more than half were – and more than half were women. “It shows there has been this incredible change. So I’ve no doubt it will work its way through. It just takes time ... you are looking at 15 years to make a judge. Only in the past ten years have they started to come through in any numbers. But I see many in cases before me, exceedingly able, and I have no doubt that they have a decent future. I encourage them, women and ethnic minority lawyers, to apply.”

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