“The Bar Standards Board has approved a consultation on a new approach to the supervision of chambers and barristers.”
Bar Standards Board, 15th February 2013
Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
“A leading barrister who specialised in fraud cases is facing a substantial prison sentence after being convicted of evading more than £600,000 in tax.”
Daily Telegraph, 11th February 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“The City of London Law Society (CLLS) and Commercial Bar Association (Combar) have published model terms of business for barristers instructed in commercial cases after more than two years of negotiation.”
Legal Futures, 1st February 2013
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
“Inner Temple became a trailblazer on diversity issues at the bar when in March 2012 it launched the Pegasus Access Scheme.”
The Lawyer, 28th January 2013
Source: www.thelawyer.com
“Barristers could end up uninsured and in financial hardship if they agree to variations of their new standard terms of contract recommended by the Law Society, the Bar Council has warned.”
Legal Futures, 31st January 2013
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
“If some of the array of senior figures and organisations in the NHS are anxious about what the publication of the Mid Staffordshire scandal report might mean for their reputations, that is understandable. The mammoth public inquiry was chaired by Robert Francis QC, described by solicitors who hire him as ‘formidable’ and ‘forensically exceptional’. A barrister specialising in the NHS and medical negligence, he is highly skilled at getting to the truth and quietly scathing when he feels censure is due.”
The Guardian, 30th January 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has welcomed the Bar Standards Board’s (BSB) proposed changes to Public Access training, which look to ‘enhance the course content and introduce an element of formal assessment’ to ensure barristers have the requisite knowledge and skills to carry out public access work.”
The Bar Council, 29th January 2013
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
“A race equality campaigner who won £420,000 compensation after a council-funded anti-racism group turned her down for a job has emerged victorious from a “Dickensian” court battle – at the ultimate expense of the public purse.”
Daily Telegraph, 29th January 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“The merits of joining forces with the Law Society and CILEx; the need to help facilitate the transition to the new world, even if its flaws are readily apparent; the Bar as guardians of the Rule of Law; and a fond farewell.”
Full story (PDF)
The Bar Council, December 2012
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
“Public access barrister training is to be overhauled under proposals announced by the Bar Standards Board today.”
Bar Standards Board, 28th January 2013
Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
“The Law Society has urged solicitors to protect themselves against the new terms of business being introduced by the Bar next week because they are ‘weighted strongly’ in favour of barristers.”
Legal Futures, 25th January 2013
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
“A new Equality and Diversity training podcast has been launched to help practitioners comply with their obligations under the new Bar Standards Board Code of Conduct rules on Equality and Diversity.”
Bar Standards Board, 23rd January 2013
Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
“The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has welcomed the 5:2 majority ruling of the Supreme Court against extending legal professional privilege (LPP) to non-lawyers, following a case put forward by financial services group, Prudential, requesting that LPP be extended to protect advice given by accountants.”
The Bar Council, 23rd January 2013
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
“In May 2012 the LSB commissioned Prof. John Flood (University of Westminster) and Prof. Morton Hvvid (University of East Anglia) to carry out a literature review analysing the impact on the market of paragraphs 601-610 of the of the Bar Standards Board’s (BSB) code, otherwise known as the ‘cab rank rule’. The LSB published The Cab Rank Rule: Its Meaning and Purpose in the New Legal Services Market on 22 January 2013.”
Legal Services Board, 22nd January 2013
Source: www.legalservicesboard.org.uk
“Following yesterday’s welcome announcement that the UK Supreme Court (UKSC) is uploading judgment summaries to YouTube, there has been some speculation as to whether the UKSC will take the next step in its embrace of digital technology and upload full hearings of trials. But could taking this step result in falling foul of the UK’s copyright law?”
UK Human Rights Blog, 22nd January 2013
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
“Some barristers are worried that boycotting the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) will lead to their committing a criminal offence by practising without authorisation, the chairman of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) has revealed.”
Legal Futures, 22nd January 2013
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
“The government’s White Paper preceding the Legal Services Act, based on the conclusions of Sir David Clementi’s review, promoted the concept of alternative business structures (ABSs) based on an expectation of a glowing future: that consumers would have more choice, and would benefit from reduced prices, better access to justice, improved levels of service, greater convenience, and that in consequence there would be increased consumer confidence in the quality of legal services. The suppliers of legal services would benefit from increased access to finance, a better spread of risk, increased flexibility, the opportunity to recruit and reward high quality non-legal staff, and there would be greater opportunities for new legal professionals.”
Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 21st January 2013
Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk
“Poor defendants in criminal cases will be condemned to be represented by ‘second best’ lawyers under proposals to slash the costs of legal aid, the chair of the Bar Council has warned.”
The Guardian, 21st January 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Criminals should not be allowed to hire the most expensive lawyers when taxpayers are covering their legal costs, the Justice Secretary has said.”
Daily Telegraph, 21st January 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“There are may aspects to the law of privilege, but what they have in common is a right to resist the compulsory disclosure of information. The law of privilege is, at least in part, a manifestation of the law of confidentiality. However, the underlying principle is one of public policy: where privilege applies, the law treats the benefits of full and transparent disclosure of information in the context of litigation as being outweighed by the benefits of giving litigants the right to keep information private.”
Full story (PDF)
11 KBW, 18th January 2013
Source: www.11kbw.com
