The judiciary is losing out on some of the best talent in the legal profession because the work of a High Court judge is perceived as fusty, old-fashioned and underpaid.

Research published yesterday shows that highly qualified lawyers are put off from applying to be High Court judges because the job requires a big cut in salary and the lifestyle is seen as unattractive and lonely.

The findings are contained in the first reseach into the “attractiveness” of senior judicial appointments, after concerns that many top lawyers do not want to be judges. It finds that women solicitors saw the High Court as “even more antediluvian” than commercial law in the City. There is concern that women, ethnic minority lawyers and solicitors are not applying for judicial posts in the numbers that they might.

As well as the financial sacrifice, other deterrents include the high workload, the need to travel around the country and staying away from home for up to six weeks at a time.

The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, said: “The last two High Court selection exercises have been very successful with no shortage of high-quality candidates applying.

“However, it is clear that there are a number of apparently highly qualified potential candidates who do not apply and it is important to discover why.”

Lord Judge said that many of the perceptions were outdated and did not reflect the changed reality of life as a High Court judge.

The report was commissioned by the Judicial Executive Board, a group of the most senior judges, from Professor Dame Hazel Genn.

The interviews with women lawyers found that some feared that the environment in court would be hostile to women and some were concerned about the lack of female role models.

Fourteen out of 106 High Court judges are women. Last year 5 out of 11 women candidates were accepted.

The report found some lawyers were put off applying because of salary levels. High Court judges earn £166,000 a year, but senior lawyers working privately can earn as much as £500,000 a year, depending on the area of practice.

Since 2006 candidates have been appointed through a formal process run by the Judicial Appointments Commission. It replaced informal appointment by the Lord Chancellor, which was criticised for discriminating against women and ethnic minorities.

The researchers questioned 6 recently appointed High Court judges and 29 highly qualified barristers and solicitors.

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