‘Barristers in England and Wales are starting an indefinite, uninterrupted strike, in an escalation of industrial action over pay which began in April.’
BBC News, 5th September 2022
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Court “chaos” is resulting in criminals going free, the victims’ commissioner has warned, as barristers move to an all-out strike. Record backlogs, which are already seeing cases scheduled late in 2024, are expected to be worsened significantly by a continuous walkout starting on Tuesday that will bring most crown court hearings to a halt in England and Wales.’
The Independent, 29th August 2022
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘There is little evidence of bullying, discrimination and harassment on Bar training courses, students have reported as part of Bar Standards Board (BSB) research into equality and diversity (E&D) at the vocational stage of training.’
Legal Futures, 25th August 2022
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
“The walkout in England and Wales is not merely about pay: it is about a criminal justice system that has been left to crumble.”
The Guardian, 22nd August 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Criminal barristers in England and Wales have voted overwhelmingly to strike indefinitely from 5 September, the same date the new Conservative leader and prime minister will be announced.’
The Guardian, 22nd August 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Criminal defence barristers are to go on an all-out strike from next week, bringing the majority of crown court cases to a grinding halt.’
The Independent, 22nd August 2022
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘A senior QC has called for the “fundamentally contradictory” rules on what barristers can say in public about their cases to be re-examined.’
Legal Futures, 16th August 2022
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘An academy scheme for aspiring barristers from under-represented groups has launched a year-long programme to give 100 students access to internships – including at the Supreme Court – mini-pupillages, mentoring and life coaching.’
Legal Futures, 11th August 2022
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘A prominent barrister has been appointed to lead an independent investigation into the BBC’s handling of sexual misconduct allegations against DJ Tim Westwood.’
The Independent, 4th August 2022
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘We do not usually cover first-instance employment tribunal judgments on this blog, but two cases handed down in the last three weeks – Forstater v. CGD Europe and Bailey v. Stonewall Equality Ltd and Garden Court Chambers – have attracted so much attention that we feel an exception must be made. Both cases involved women with ‘gender critical’ beliefs who faced hostility in their workplaces after expressing them. Both succeeded in their claims of direct discrimination and victimisation on grounds of belief under the Equality Act 2010. Although neither of the cases sets a binding precedent for other courts or tribunals, they contain interesting legal analysis and comment about the importance of freedom of expression and freedom of belief in the context of work which is of wider significance.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 3rd August 2022
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has today published two new reports on compliance with the regulator’s transparency rules and the impact on consumers of these rules.’
Bar Standards Board, 28th July 2022
Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
‘The Bar has improved its compliance with the rules on transparency and more consumers are shopping around for potential providers, Bar Standards Board (BSB) research has found.’
Legal Futures, 29th July 2022
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘A barrister working as a trade union’s in-house lawyer has received a formal apology and damages of £3,000 from the Metropolitan Police after he was arrested on a picket line.’
Legal Futures, 28th July 2022
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘A barrister has won part of her employment tribunal claim that she was discriminated against because of her gender-critical views.’
BBC News, 27th July 2022
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A rape victim who will have been waiting five years by the time her case comes to court has said navigating the justice process has had a worse impact on her mental health than the crime itself, leaving her feeling “suicidal”.’
The Guardian, 24th July 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘renda Hale is a British judge who served as president of the supreme court of the United Kingdom from 2017 until her retirement in 2020. Lady Hale studied law at Cambridge, was called to the bar and then worked as an academic for many years. In 1984, she became the youngest person to be appointed to the Law Commission. In 1999, she was only the second woman to be appointed to the court of appeal. It fell to Hale, in September 2019, to deliver the judgment of the supreme court in the matter of the Queen’s prorogation of parliament on the advice of Boris Johnson. The court ruled that the prorogation was unlawful and the spider brooch Hale wore on that fateful day became one of the most famous fashion accessories in history. Her memoir, Spider Woman: A Life, is now out in paperback.’
The Guardian, 24th July 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The BSB is today launching a three-month public consultation on the regulator’s proposed approach to the regulation of non-professional conduct and on barristers’ use of social media. Simultaneously, interim Social Media Guidance has been published, which will be updated following the consultation. The consultation documents and interim Social Media Guidance were both developed with input from a stakeholder reference group consisting of external experts (including practising barristers) and BSB Board members.’
Bar Standards Board, 21st July 2022
Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
‘One of the UK’s most high-profile freedom of expression lawyers has accused Labour of “spin and dissembling” for denying it attempted to stop two female ex-staffers from speaking about sexual harassment. In a highly unusual intervention, Mark Stephens, who represented Georgie Robertson and Laura Murray, said there were “high public interests at play” and said the party was “undermining their credibility” by issuing statements denying it had tried to offer them non-disclosure agreements.’
The Guardian, 21st July 2022
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The attainment gap between ethnic minority and White students in the centrally assessed modules of the Bar professional training course (BPTC) was “broadly similar” to other modules but with a higher impact on pass rates, research by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) has found.’
Legal Futures, 20th July 2022
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Barristers have walked out for a fourth week as industrial action continues at courts around the country.’
The Independent, 18th July 2022
Source: www.independent.co.uk
