The JAC advertisement says
“While all the selections will be made on merit, the QBD positions will ideally be filled by candidates with particular specialisms: four in crime, one in planning and one specialist in defamation. The other vacancies are suitable for generalists or specialists, but all QBD candidates must have the potential to adapt to a variety of work across the Division. In addition, the Lord Chancellor expects that candidates for the defamation post must have some knowledge of, and experience in applying, this area of the law” (emphasis added).
The JAC tweeted the vacancies to its 1,700 Twitter followers today
9 High Court vacancies. 8 QBD + 1 Family Division. Flexible working available for one QBD post http://t.co/HQCMff8LYA
— Judicial Appointments Commission (@becomeajudge) October 17, 2013
There were, until recently, three judges who had practised primarily in the field of defamation and privacy law whilst at the bar: Mr Justice Eady, Mr Justice Tugendhat and Mrs Justice Sharp. However, Mr Justice Eady retired earlier this year, and Mrs Justice Sharp is now Lady Justice Sharp. Mr Justice Tugendhat, the judge in charge of the “Jury List” (which deals with defamation and privacy cases) reaches the statutory retirement age on 21 October 2014.
A number of other High Court Judges have recently heard defamation and privacy applications and trials, including Nicol J, Bean J, Simon J, Nicola Davies J and Dingemans J – although none of them had specialist defamation practices at the Bar.
In a Speech given last September [pdf] Mr Justice Tugendhat mentioned his own statutory retirement in 2014. He argued that it was “very much in the public interest that there should always be a number of specialist media judges”. He concluded by saying:
“I hope that those who would be best qualified for appointment to the High Court Bench will apply in the course of the forthcoming selection exercise. If specialist lawyers do not apply, there can be no specialist judges. That is a prospect that greatly concerns me, and I am sure it concerns all of you here today as well“.