Category: barristers

Barrister stresses importance of PACE and good practice after successfully defending pub landlord charged with Covid -19 rules breach – Local Government Lawyer

Posted May 11th, 2022 in barristers, coronavirus, fines, licensed premises, news, police, professional conduct by sally

‘A barrister who successfully defended a pub landlord accused of failing to close his pub during tier 4 lockdown in February 2021 has claimed the case should serve “as a reminder that even in extraordinary circumstances, the rules of PACE and good practice ought not to be forgotten”.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 10th May 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Judge tells regulators to use summary processes against vexatious litigants – Legal Futures

Posted May 10th, 2022 in barristers, complaints, news, professional conduct, restraint orders, vexatious litigants by sally

‘Legal regulators need to have summary processes in place to deal with vexatious litigants who use their procedures to continue a “proxy war” against lawyers, a High Court judge has said.’

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Legal Futures, 10th May 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

LiP loses costs challenge over ‘no longer instructed’ barrister – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 9th, 2022 in barristers, costs, harassment, injunctions, legal representation, litigants in person, news by tracey

‘A litigant who tried to argue that his costs order was agreed by a barrister who was no longer instructed has lost a court challenge.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 9th May 2022

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Litigant banned over ‘unjustified’ complaints to regulators – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 9th, 2022 in barristers, employment, employment tribunals, law firms, news, nurses, solicitors, Solicitors Regulation Authority, unfair dismissal, vexatious litigants by tracey

‘A former nurse who made “wholly inappropriate and unjustified allegations of wrongdoing” against lawyers has been banned from bringing proceedings for two years by a High Court judge, who said regulators must be “astute in identifying litigants who abusively use [the] regulatory process”.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 6th May 2022

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Minister: Reforms “not exactly” what criminal legal aid review said – Legal Futures

Posted April 28th, 2022 in barristers, criminal justice, fees, legal aid, news, solicitors by sally

‘Justice minister James Cartlidge has admitted to MPs that the government’s response to an independent review of criminal legal aid was “not exactly” what its author, Sir Christopher Bellamy, proposed.’

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Legal Futures, 28th April 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Case Comment: Her Majesty’s Attorney General v Crosland [2021] UKSC 58 – UKSC Blog

Posted April 27th, 2022 in airports, appeals, attorney general, barristers, climate change, contempt of court, costs, environmental protection, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘Mr Crosland appealed against a decision of the Supreme Court in which he was ordered to pay a fine of £5,000 to HM Paymaster General, and costs of a further £15,000, for contempt of court. The court at first instance (“First Instance Panel”) was satisfied that Mr Crosland committed contempt of court by disclosing the outcome of the court’s judgment in R (on the application of Friends of the Earth) v Heathrow Airport Ltd [2020] UKSC 52 (“Heathrow Judgment”) whilst still in draft and subject to embargo.’

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UKSC Blog, 26th April 2022

Source: ukscblog.com

Bar Standards Board clears barrister over Hillsborough remarks – The Guardian

Posted April 26th, 2022 in barristers, health & safety, homicide, negligence, news, police, professional conduct, sport by sally

‘A senior barrister who repeated discredited police allegations about the behaviour of Liverpool supporters at the Hillsborough disaster has been cleared of misconduct by his profession’s Bar Standards Board (BSB).’

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The Guardian, 25th April 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

“Ground down” veteran barrister fined for direct access offences – Legal Futures

Posted April 26th, 2022 in barristers, client accounts, disciplinary procedures, fines, news, ombudsmen, professional conduct by sally

‘A veteran barrister has been fined £4,250 by a Bar disciplinary tribunal for carrying out litigation without authorisation and handling client money on behalf of a direct access client.’

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Legal Futures, 26th April 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

High Court throws out negligence claim over MMR vaccine advice – Legal Futures

Posted April 25th, 2022 in barristers, health, law firms, limitations, negligence, news, summary judgments, time limits, vaccination by sally

‘The potential negligence of a QC and high-profile law firm to advise a client on limitation was irrelevant as the underlying claim would not have succeeded anyway, the High Court has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 25th April 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Bringing [Dis]Ability to the Bar – Counsel

Posted April 19th, 2022 in barristers, disabled persons, news by sally

‘Mary Prior QC profiles the founders of BDABar, Konstantina Nouka and James Ekin, who are determined to improve accessibility, support and inclusivity at the Bar, and dismantle the barriers that disabled aspiring barristers face.’

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Counsel, April 2022

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

Lessons learnt: An accessibility journey for the Bar – Counsel

Posted April 19th, 2022 in barristers, disabled persons, listed buildings, news by sally

‘A call to action on access: Dr Gregory Burke’s stark “lessons learnt” as a disabled barrister and why chambers are showing a “failure of imagination”.’

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Counsel, April 2022

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

Barrister with council tax conviction fails in disbarment appeal – Legal Futures

Posted April 19th, 2022 in appeals, barristers, council tax, disciplinary procedures, disclosure, fraud, news by sally

‘The High Court has rejected an appeal from a barrister disbarred after a council tax conviction and submission of dishonest evidence to a Crown Court.’

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Legal Futures, 19th April 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Publicly-funded criminal barrister numbers drop by 11% – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted April 11th, 2022 in barristers, budgets, coronavirus, criminal justice, legal aid, news, statistics by tracey

‘The number of barristers practising full-time in publicly-funded criminal law dropped by 11% last year, according to analysis by the Bar Council. In 2021, only 2,400 barristers reported that their practice was entirely publicly-funded criminal work, down from from 2,670 the previous year.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 8th April 2022

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Thousands of barristers take action over legal aid – BBC News

Posted April 11th, 2022 in barristers, criminal justice, industrial action, legal aid, news, remuneration by tracey

‘Nearly 2,500 barristers who are essential to the criminal justice system in England and Wales are starting industrial action over concerns about legal aid funding.’

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BBC news, 11th April 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Neurodiversity and the Bar – Counsel

Posted April 8th, 2022 in autism, barristers, disabled persons, equality, learning difficulties, mental health, news by sally

‘An introduction to neurodiversity and why the Bar ought to embrace it – by Oliver May.’

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Counsel, March 2022

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

Four in 10 pupils have experienced or witnessed bullying at the Bar – Legal Futures

Posted April 4th, 2022 in barristers, bullying, equality, harassment, news, pupillage, statistics by sally

‘Nearly four in 10 pupils have either personally experienced or observed bullying, harassment and/or discrimination (BHD), Bar Council research has revealed.’

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Legal Futures, 4th April 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

BSB scraps student aptitude test despite Bar Council opposition – Legal Futures

Posted April 4th, 2022 in barristers, legal education, news, statistics by sally

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) is to ditch the Bar course aptitude test (BCAT) as it is no longer acting as a “filter” of those likely to fail the vocational component of their training.’

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Legal Futures, 1st April 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Legal aid work “close to being unsustainable”, new campaign warns – Legal Futures

Posted April 1st, 2022 in barristers, civil justice, criminal justice, fees, Law Society, legal aid, legal profession, lord chancellor, Ministry of Justice, news, statistics by sally

‘A new campaign for increased legal aid funding has been launched after the findings of a unique census showed the market will not be sustainable without more government action.’

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Legal Futures, 31st March 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

BSB panel rejects complaints over barrister’s Royal baby tweet – Legal Futures

Posted March 30th, 2022 in barristers, complaints, disciplinary procedures, internet, news, racism, royal family by sally

‘A Bar Standards Board (BSB) panel has rejected more than 80 complaints made against a barrister accused of making racist comments on Twitter about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s baby last year.’

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Legal Futures, 30th March 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Barrister sanctioned for “offensive” Muslim tweet wins appeal – Legal Futures

Posted March 28th, 2022 in appeals, barristers, disciplinary procedures, freedom of expression, internet, Islam, news by tracey

‘A Bar Standards Board (BSB) panel applied too low a threshold in sanctioning a barrister for a tweet about Muslims that it said would cause offence, a tribunal has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 28th March 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk