Supreme Court Act 1981

Judges' clerks and secretaries

98 Judges' clerks and secretaries

(1) A clerk and a secretary shall be attached to each of the following judges of the Supreme Court, namely the Lord Chief Justice, the Master of the Rolls, the President of the Family Division and the Vice-Chancellor.

(2) A clerk shall be attached to each of the following judges of the Supreme Court, namely the Lords Justices of Appeal and the puisne judges of the High Court.

(3) Any clerk or secretary attached as mentioned in subsection (1) or (2)—

(a) shall be appointed by the Lord Chancellor; and

(b) if not already employed in the civil service of the State shall be deemed for all purposes to be so employed.

(4) If at any time it appears to any of the judges mentioned in subsection (1) desirable that there should be attached to him a legal secretary (that is to say a secretary with legal qualifications) in addition to the secretary provided for by that subsection, he may, with the concurrence of the Lord Chancellor, appoint a barrister or solicitor as his legal secretary.

(5) An appointment under subsection (4) may be on either a full-time or a part-time basis; and a person appointed by a judge as his legal secretary shall, except as regards remuneration, hold and vacate that office in accordance with such terms as the judge may, with the concurrence of the Lord Chancellor, determine when making the appointment.

(6) A person appointed under subsection (4)—

(a) shall not be treated as employed in the civil service of the State by reason only of that appointment; and

(b) if the Lord Chancellor so determines in his case, shall be paid out of money provided by Parliament such remuneration as the Lord Chancellor may, with the concurrence of the Minister for the Civil Service, determine.