Category: barristers

Barristers accuse ministers of rushing release of pre-recorded video evidence – The Guardian

Posted September 9th, 2022 in barristers, budgets, criminal justice, cross-examination, Crown Court, delay, fees, industrial action, Ministry of Justice, news, rape, sexual offences, victims, video recordings, witnesses by tracey

‘Barristers have accused ministers of ignoring a crisis in the criminal justice system by continuing to roll out pre-recorded video evidence for rape survivors in England and Wales amid a strike by advocates. The policy, allowing complainants of offences including modern slavery to be cross-examined before trial in front of a limited number of people, was extended to five more crown courts on Friday, taking the total to 63. Three-quarters of courts are covered and all will be by the end of the month.’

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The Guardian, 9th September 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Barrister strike: Criminal law is not dying, it’s dead, says barrister – BBC News

Posted September 6th, 2022 in barristers, criminal justice, industrial action, legal aid, news, remuneration by sally

‘Criminal law is “not dying, it’s pretty much dead” one barrister has claimed.’

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BBC News, 6th September 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Barristers strike: ‘The system is falling apart and victims are let down’ – BBC News

Posted September 5th, 2022 in barristers, criminal justice, Crown Court, delay, demonstrations, fees, industrial action, legal aid, mental health, Ministry of Justice, news, remuneration by tracey

‘As many defence barristers begin an indefinite strike over pay, the BBC spoke to a barrister about her day-to-day work in the “falling apart” criminal justice system and to an alleged victim of sexual abuse caught up in the backlog of cases.’

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BBC News, 5th September 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Barristers start indefinite strike action over pay in England and Wales – BBC News

Posted September 5th, 2022 in barristers, criminal justice, Crown Court, delay, demonstrations, fees, industrial action, legal aid, Ministry of Justice, news, remuneration by tracey

‘Barristers in England and Wales are starting an indefinite, uninterrupted strike, in an escalation of industrial action over pay which began in April.’

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BBC News, 5th September 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Court ‘chaos’ seeing criminals go free, victims’ commissioner warns, as barristers strike – The Independent

Posted August 30th, 2022 in barristers, criminal justice, Crown Court, delay, domestic violence, industrial action, news, remuneration, victims by tracey

‘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.’

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The Independent, 29th August 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

“Little evidence” of discrimination or harassment on Bar courses – Legal Futures

Posted August 25th, 2022 in barristers, diversity, equality, legal education, news by sally

‘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.’

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Legal Futures, 25th August 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

It tears barristers like me apart to strike, but the government has left us no choice Simon Spence – The Guardian

Posted August 24th, 2022 in barristers, budgets, criminal justice, Crown Court, delay, demonstrations, fees, HM Courts Service, industrial action, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

“The walkout in England and Wales is not merely about pay: it is about a criminal justice system that has been left to crumble.”

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The Guardian, 22nd August 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Why criminal barristers are striking over legal aid funding – The Guardian

Posted August 23rd, 2022 in barristers, criminal justice, industrial action, legal aid, news, remuneration by sally

‘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.’

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The Guardian, 22nd August 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Barristers vote for all-out strike from 5 September – The Independent

Posted August 22nd, 2022 in barristers, criminal justice, Crown Court, delay, fees, industrial action, legal aid, Ministry of Justice, news, statistics, victims by tracey

‘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.’

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The Independent, 22nd August 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Fresh warning over barristers making “supportive” comments about cases – Legal Futures

Posted August 16th, 2022 in barristers, conflict of interest, media, news by sally

‘A senior QC has called for the “fundamentally contradictory” rules on what barristers can say in public about their cases to be re-examined.’

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Legal Futures, 16th August 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Academy for aspiring barristers from under-represented groups goes live – Legal Futures

Posted August 11th, 2022 in barristers, diversity, equality, news by sally

‘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.’

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Legal Futures, 11th August 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Tim Westwood: Independent barrister to review BBC’s handling of DJ allegations – The Independent

Posted August 5th, 2022 in barristers, BBC, complaints, disciplinary procedures, harassment, news, professional conduct, sexual offences by tracey

‘A prominent barrister has been appointed to lead an independent investigation into the BBC’s handling of sexual misconduct allegations against DJ Tim Westwood.’

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The Independent, 4th August 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Discrimination and Freedom of Belief in the Sex and Gender Debate – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted August 3rd, 2022 in barristers, employment, employment tribunals, equality, freedom of expression, gender, human rights, news, transgender persons by tracey

‘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.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 3rd August 2022

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

BSB publishes two new reports on transparency rules – Bar Standards Board

Posted August 2nd, 2022 in barristers, consumer protection, news, regulations, reports, standards by tracey

‘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.’

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Bar Standards Board, 28th July 2022

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Barrister compliance with transparency rules increases sharply – Legal Futures

Posted July 29th, 2022 in barristers, consumer protection, news, statistics by sally

‘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.’

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Legal Futures, 29th July 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Union’s head of legal receives apology over picket line arrest – Legal Futures

Posted July 29th, 2022 in barristers, damages, demonstrations, false imprisonment, industrial action, news, police, trade unions by sally

‘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.’

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Legal Futures, 28th July 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Allison Bailey: Barrister awarded £22,000 in discrimination case – BBC News

Posted July 27th, 2022 in barristers, compensation, damages, diversity, employment, employment tribunals, equality, freedom of expression, gender, news, transgender persons by sally

‘A barrister has won part of her employment tribunal claim that she was discriminated against because of her gender-critical views.’

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BBC News, 27th July 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UK rape victim left feeling ‘suicidal’ after five-year wait for case to come to trial – The Guardian

Posted July 25th, 2022 in barristers, courts, criminal justice, delay, fees, industrial action, mental health, Ministry of Justice, news, pilot schemes, rape, remuneration, sexual offences, victims by sally

‘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”.’

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The Guardian, 24th July 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Brenda Hale: ‘There’s absolutely no need to scrap the Human Rights Act’ – The Guardian

Posted July 25th, 2022 in abortion, barristers, brexit, human rights, immigration, industrial action, judges, news by sally

‘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.’

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The Guardian, 24th July 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

BSB launches a consultation on the regulation of non-professional conduct and on proposed new Social Media Guidance and publishes interim Social Media Guidance – Bar Standards Board

Posted July 22nd, 2022 in barristers, consultations, internet, news, professional conduct by tracey

‘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.’

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Bar Standards Board, 21st July 2022

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk