£175,000 a year is not enough! Top lawyers put off becoming judges by low pay and worsening pensions, says Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge warns morale is low because of greater responsibilities and less money Lord Judge, the outgoing Lord Chief of Justice, has warned that judges' morale is low after they were forced to take a substantial pay cut Britain's top judge has launched a scathing attack on the decision to slash his colleagues' pay, warning it has destroyed morale in the profession and risks compromising the quality of future recruits. Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, who is standing down from the role later this year, says sweeping salary cuts of as much as 60 per cent since 2011, allied to an increased workload, is seriously affecting judges' state of mind. And he fears that unless pay is raised from its current average of £175,000 per year, top lawyers will reject the chance to become judges In his final annual report, he said there was a growing gap between senior lawyers' pay and that of judges. Judges are also working harder, he said, no longer presiding over trials and hearings, but also involved in administrative and other duties. This combination of changes has lowered morale, which raised doubts about the ability to 'recruit, retain and motivate sufficient high-quality people to the judiciary', according to The Times. Lord Judge, who steps down at the end of September after five years, made his comments in his final annual report as Lord Chief Justice. High Court judges are currently paid £174,481 a year. But if they come from the commercial or Chancery Bar, their gross annual earnings as self-employed practitioners could have been four or even five times that amount. Lord Judge said the Senior Salaries Review Body had raised concerns about the impact on the judiciary of their extra workload and lower pay, warning it would be 'unwise' for its view to be ignored. The body said circuit judges' take-home pay had fallen by 15.9%, or by 18.4% for those sitting in the Court of Appeal. Lord Judge said their extra administrative commitments came 'without any additional remuneration, and, indeed, the expansion of the responsibilities now placed on the judiciary, allied to less attractive terms and conditions and pension arrangements as the Senior Salaries Review Body made clear, has resulted in reduced morale'. The review body had recommended a rise of 1% in salaries from April, saying it was more concerned with the impact of the Government's pay policies on the judiciary than on senior civil servants and the Armed Forces. It would be 'unwise' to ignore the body and its recommendations, Lord Judge said. The Scales of Justice on top of the Old Bailey. Lord Judge has warned judges' performance is being affected by tougher working conditions Judges in England and Wales are in the midst of a three-year pay freeze, and their pension benefits are expected to be slashed by a third. There has been speculation the severity of the cuts could prompt some judges to launch a legal challenge. Lord Judge said judges traditionally took a pay cut, but it was, in part, compensated for by pension arrangements. 'This is no longer the case,' he said