Appointment Process
The JABS recommendation process has been developed over many years and a process of constant evolution - a process which is ongoing today.
This section of the website aims to break down the recommendation process to demystify it for first-time applicants, and to give returning applicants a better understanding of what JABS looks for in applications.
There are two main parts to the Appointment Process - the recommendations, which are made by JABS to the Scottish Government and the appointments themselves which are made by the King (in the case of court roles) or by The Scottish Ministers (in the case of tribunal roles). This section of the website will have more focus on the recommendation part of the process, but will also include the appointment side.
The recommendation process starts when the Judicial Office for Scotland identifies a need for the recruitment of judicial office holders.
Once the need has been identified, Judicial Office makes a request to the Scottish Government.
The Scottish Government then undertakes a series of discussions, once these are complete and the request approved, the Scottish Government will then issue an Official Request to JABS. This request will outline the detail of the recruitment to be undertaken.
Upon receiving this request, JABS will then start planning the work required.
After the Recommendations
Once the competition has been run and recommendations have been made to the Scottish Government, JABS part in the process is complete, but work still needs to be done to turn those recommendations into appointments.
For court roles, the Scottish Government has to consult with the Lord President on the candidates being recommended. Once this consultation process has completed, the Scottish Government, in the shape of the First Minister will make recommendations to The King. Once approved, The King signs the Royal Warrant, it is at this stage that the candidates are considered to have been appointed to whichever office the recruitment related to.
For tribunal roles, the Scottish Government makes recommendations to the Scottish Ministers. Once those recommendations are accepted, the relevant Minister will then issue letters of appointment, at which point the candidate is considered appointed to the tribunal in question.