The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has today responded to the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) second consultation on legal aid cuts, launching a profound and reasoned criticism on the Department for putting instant savings above the long-term health of the justice system.
The Bar Council, 1st November 2013
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
“A barrister, Barbara Hewson, makes provocative comments suggesting some rape victims have a ‘moral responsibility’ for their fate.”
Daily Telegraph, 31st October 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“Mr Justice Bean refused to amend the protective costs order (PCO) granted earlier this month by Mr Justice Ouseley, which at £150,000 was 10 times greater than that the four claimants – who are supported by the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) – had sought.”
Legal Futures, 31st October 2013
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
“A public disciplinary tribunal has ordered the disbarment of a barrister for dishonest conduct following convictions for a range of fraud offences amounting to around £900,000.”
Bar Standards Board, 24th October 2013
Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
“A High Court judge has accused the Bar Standards Board (BSB) of ‘misleading conduct’ in the way it handled a disciplinary matter that led to a barrister being disbarred.”
Legal Futures, 28th October 2013
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
“It is with interest, as a barrister committed to representation of parties in care proceedings that I read the monthly, View from the President’s Chambers (available online). And more recently an interview with the President himself in Counsel Magazine (Justic Delayed is Justice Denied, Chris McWatters talks to Sir James Munby, Counsel October 2013).”
Garden Court Family Law Blog, 25th October 2013
Source: www.gcfamily.wordpress.com
“The Law Society was today granted permission to intervene in the judicial review of the Legal Services Board’s approval of the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 23rd October 2013
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
“Evidence given to MPs by Chris Grayling has sparked a spat between the Bar Council and Ministry of Justice.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 22nd October 2013
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
“Can a defendant ever have a fair trial or be safely convicted if his advocate is incompetent, asks Matthew Scott.”
Criminal Law and Justice Weekly, 19th October 2013
Source: www.criminallawandjustice.co.uk
“A High Court judgment that refused three applications for judicial review of barristers’ disciplinary decisions is to be appealed, after the court found that anomalies in tribunal panel member appointments did not affect the validity of the findings.”
Legal Futures, 17th October 2013
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
“New guidelines for dealing with child sex abuse cases published today will mark ‘the most fundamental attitude shift’ in the criminal justice system in a generation, the Director of Public Prosecutions has claimed.”
The Independent, 17th October 2013
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“A Bar Standards Board spokesperson said:
‘The administrative court has today handed down judgment in Leathley, Mehey, Hayes v Visitors to the Inns of Court: three judicial review applications which raised issues arising from the various anomalies revealed in 2011 in relation to the Council of the Inns of Courts’ panel member appointment processes. We are pleased that the court found all but two of the specific challenges made by the Claimants to be totally without merit and refused the applications on the two issues it considered were arguable. The judgment confirms the Bar Standard’s Board’s original view: that most of the historic anomalies, while a matter of great concern to us, did not affect the validity of the findings made in the cases that were potentially affected.'”
Bar Standards Board, 16th October 2013
Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
“Changes designed to increase the diversity of coroners and competition for positions, have been announced by new Justice Minister Shailesh Vara.”
Ministry of Justice, 14th October 2013
Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
“The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has issued a statement about the costs of a judicial review into the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) following widespread outrage and confusion on Twitter.”
The Lawyer, 11th October 2013
Source: www.thelawyer.com
Related link: Bar Standards Board Statement on costs and the judicial review of QASA
“The High Court has capped the costs exposure of the four barristers bringing a judicial review against the Legal Services Board (LSB) over the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) – but at a level 10 times the one they had proposed.”
Legal Futures. 10th October 2013
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
“A judge has refused to rule that an ex-model who was part of a playboy lawyer’s ‘hunny bunnies’ club has no claim to flat and Range Rover he bought her.”
Daily Telegraph, 9th October 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has today published a framework for the development of its future approach to legal education and training, following the publication of the Legal Education and Training Review (LETR) in June.”
Bar Standards Board, 8th October 2013
Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
“The frontline regulators need lay chairs at the helm so as to cut the ‘overly strong ties’ that still exist with their branches of the profession and have held back change, the Legal Services Board (LSB) said yesterday.”
Legal Futures, 9th October 2013
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
“Defendants being charged with a number of terrorism-related offences – First defendant’s trial counsel’s conduct at trial being criticised by judge and prosecution counsel on numerous occasions during trial.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 8th October 2013
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
“Criminal barristers were yesterday given permission to pursue their judicial review against the Legal Services Board over the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA).”
Legal Futures, 8th October 2013
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
