QASA challenge could cost criminal barristers £215,000 – Legal Futures

Posted August 11th, 2014 in appeals, barristers, costs, news, protective costs orders, quality assurance by sally

‘The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) and circuits could face a £65,000 bill – nearly twice what they had hoped for – if their Court of Appeal bid to derail the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) fails, it has emerged.’

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Legal Futures, 11th August 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Visitors uphold fine for pupillage head who ignored online applications – Legal Futures

‘The Bar’s disciplinary tribunal was right to fine the head of a pupillage committee at a London chambers that ignored 98 online applications, the Visitors to the Inns of Court have ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 11th August 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Information Commissioner sounds alarm over lawyers’ handling of personal data – Legal Futures

‘The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued a warning to solicitors and barristers over the need to keep personal information secure, especially paper files, in the wake of “a number of data breaches” in recent months.’

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Legal Futures, 6th August 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Lawyers must step up data protection measures after series of breaches, says watchdog – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 6th, 2014 in barristers, data protection, documents, news, ombudsmen, privacy, solicitors by sally

‘Christopher Graham, the Information Commissioner, highlights a series of recent privacy breaches by barristers and solicitors.’

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Daily Telegraph, 5th August 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Union law review frozen after barrister objects to ministerial statements – The Guardian

Posted August 6th, 2014 in barristers, industrial action, inquiries, news, political parties, trade unions by sally

‘An independent review of laws governing industrial disputes has been dramatically scaled back after the QC in charge objected to recent ministerial announcements on introducing anti-strike laws.’

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The Guardian, 5th August 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

High Court overturns tribunal’s decision on barrister accused of concealing convictions – Legal Futures

‘The High Court has quashed the decision of a Bar disciplinary tribunal, which resulted in a barrister being disbarred and fined £3,000 following accusations that he failed to disclose criminal convictions.’

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Legal Futures, 5th August 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Bar Standards Board to “research need for accreditation schemes” – Legal Futures

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has promised to research “the need for other quality assurance schemes and/or accreditation schemes” so the public can have confidence in barristers.’

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Legal Futures, 4th August 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Legal aid cuts: In the new landscape, it’s the lawyers who could now suffer – The Independent

Posted August 4th, 2014 in barristers, budgets, fees, legal aid, legal profession, news, solicitors by sally

‘Public access work allows barristers to bypass solicitors to gain clients on fixed fees agreed in advance.’

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The Independent, 3rd August 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Barrister led ABS: too much to take on? – The Future of Law

Posted August 1st, 2014 in alternative business structures, barristers, legal services, news by sally

‘There is a mystique to the Bar of England and Wales, designed to present a timeless image of legal practitioners. Working in rabbit warrens around the Temple, wearing robes and a horsehair wig, and dealing with only the highest levels of legal thought, it is a façade that conceals some very radical ambitions for change.’

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The Future of Law, 31st July 2014

Source: www.futureoflaw.lexisnexis.co.uk

Barristers can be fearless, but they must keep to the rules – The Guardian

‘How fearless can a barrister afford to be when representing a defendant at a criminal trial? That was the question I asked here exactly six months ago. The answer, we learned this week, is not as fearless as Lawrence McNulty was when he represented Munir Farooqi at a terrorist trial in the summer of 2011. A disciplinary tribunal of the inns of court has now convicted McNulty on four charges of professional misconduct arising from Farooqi’s trial, while acquitting the barrister of a fifth’

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The Guardian, 31st July 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

‘Arrogant’ barrister has contempt finding set aside – Law Society’s Gazette

‘A barrister accused of ‘breathtaking arrogance’ has had a contempt finding against him set aside, but been referred to the bar’s regulator.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 23rd July 2014

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Diplomat to chair Bar Standards Board – Legal Futures

Posted July 24th, 2014 in barristers, diplomats, news by sally

‘Sir Andrew Burns, a career diplomat, has been chosen to replace Baroness Ruth Deech as chair of the Bar Standards Board (BSB) from 1 January 2015.’

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Legal Futures, 22nd July 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Criminal bar takes QASA challenge to appeal court – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 17th, 2014 in appeals, barristers, news, quality assurance by tracey

‘The criminal bar has begun the next stage of its challenge to the introduction of the controversial Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA).’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 16th July 2014

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Bar Council reveals preliminary findings of its impact of LASPO survey – The Bar Council

‘The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has today presented its preliminary findings from a major survey conducted to assess the impact of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) 2012.’

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The Bar Council, 12th July 2014

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Barristers suffering post-LASPO, says survey – Litigation Futures

Posted July 14th, 2014 in barristers, fees, legal aid, news, remuneration by sally

‘More than half of barristers conducting civil litigation have seen their income fall since implementation of the Jackson reforms, Bar Council research has found.’

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Litigation Futures, 14th July 2014

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Grayling agrees legal aid truce with barristers over complex fraud trials – The Guardian

Posted July 8th, 2014 in barristers, costs, fees, legal aid, Ministry of Justice, news, trials by tracey

‘Barristers and the justice secretary, Chris Grayling, have agreed a temporary truce in a dispute that threatened to halt all complex fraud trials. Amid taunts of a government climbdown, the Ministry of Justice has enforced a 30% cut in legal aid fees for what are known as Very High Cost Cases (VHCC) but agreed to make more generous payments at an earlier stage in court proceedings.’

Full story

The Guardian, 8th July 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Practitioner bodies berate ‘face-saving’ bar deal – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 8th, 2014 in barristers, fees, legal aid, Ministry of Justice, news, solicitors by tracey

‘The “backroom” deal agreed by the Ministry of Justice to end the VHCC fee dispute with barristers has been sharply criticised for excluding solicitors who are the “backbone” of the system.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 8th July 2014

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Bar Council and BSB confirm big drop in number of new tenancies – Legal Futures

Posted July 3rd, 2014 in barristers, diversity, news by sally

‘The number of tenancies available for newly qualified barristers fell dramatically in the most recent year for which figures are available – but not as badly as had been feared.’

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Legal Futures, 2nd July 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Barristers lay out plans for range of new entities – Legal Futures

Posted July 1st, 2014 in alternative business structures, barristers, news by sally

‘Barristers are looking at creating a wide range of legal businesses – with solicitors, paralegals and others – once the Bar Standards Board’s (BSB) application to become an entity regulator is approved, it has emerged.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 1st July 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Project pits women’s success stories against “negative narrative of diversity debate” – Legal Futures

Posted June 30th, 2014 in barristers, diversity, equality, legal profession, news, solicitors, statistics, women by sally

‘A five-year project to celebrate the achievements of women lawyers has been launched, culminating at the centenary of the Act of Parliament which abolished the bar on their entry into the profession.’

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Legal Futures, 27th June 2014

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk