“There is a good standard of legal education and training in England and Wales – ‘for the most part’ – but quality, accessibility and flexibility need to be enhanced ‘to ensure the system remains fit for the future’, the Legal Education and Training Review research report has concluded.”
Legal Futures, 25th June 2013
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
“Training for barristers and solicitors is almost certain to remain separate following the Legal Education and Training Review’s rejection of the idea of a common professional course.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 25th June 2013
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
“Legal education and training is not ‘fundamentally broken’ but is failing to ensure consistent levels of quality across the profession, a long-awaited pan-profession report says today.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 25th June 2013
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
“It will be easier for barristers to set up legal businesses after the Bar Standards Board agreed last week to make the criteria for approving new entities more flexible.”
Bar Standards Board, 24th June 2013
Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
“The Government’s plans to shake up legal aid have received a chilly response from its most senior law officer, signalling deep divisions among ministers over the controversial moves.”
The Independent, 21st June 2013
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“John Cooper QC on the allied opposition to the legal aid cuts.”
Criminal Law and Justice Weekly, 22nd June 2013
Source: www.criminallawandjustice.co.uk
“The fortunes of commercial and publicly funded barristers could hardly be more divergent at present. But it is not simply a ‘tale of two bars’. The bar’s monied and impecunious sections are co-dependent, according to those present at the Gazette’s roundtable discussion on the future of the bar. That division in fortunes is not new. But it has increased, and if further legal aid cuts follow, will become even more dramatic. As the discussion starts, it is noted that of 1,700 students emerging from bar school each year, perhaps fewer than 400 will secure pupillages – a modern low.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 24th June 2013
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
“Complaints against barristers are handled promptly and fairly, according to a new independent report published today.”
Bar Standards Board, 21st June 2013
Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
“The Bar Council, the Circuit Leaders and the Criminal Bar Association have today announced their joint support for the extension of the Crown Prosecution Services’ (CPS) Advocate Panel’s rape remit to include sexual offences involving children.”
The Bar Council, 13th June 2013
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
“Will the Ministry of Justice back down over cuts to legal aid? Radio 4’s legal magazine follows the bitter dispute between the profession and the government.
This week, Maura McGowan QC of the Bar Council is in the studio with Joshua Rozenberg, making the lawyers’ case. But is she right that the legal profession will be undermined? Lord McNally responds for the government.”
BBC Law in Action, 11th June 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“A London chambers has become the first alternative business structure (ABS) licensed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority that does not have any solicitors.”
Legal Futures, 11th June 2013
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
“The poorest and most vulnerable people in society are being hit by cuts to the legal system while the government bankrolls the wealthiest, a senior QC said today [11 June].”
The Independent, 11th June 2013
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“The Legal Services Board is to formally investigate whether the Bar Council breached rules to interfere in a controversial decision affecting the cab rank rule.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 5th June 2013
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
“145 barristers on the Attorney General’s Panel of Counsel have signed a letter seeking that the Government to rethink its plans for reform of Legal Aid. I was one of the signatories. The letter is reproduced on the Legal Aid Changes blog.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 6th June 2013
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
“The Ministry of Justice has said there will be no limits to a far-reaching review of the regulation of legal services.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 5th June 2013
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has today stated that it has no plans to develop a quality system to facilitate price competitive tendering (PCT) for criminal legal aid. The Bar Council believes that real quality is based on choice of service providers, not price alone, on which the Government’s model is based. The Bar Council’s response to the Ministry of Justice’s consultation clearly sets out its position on this issue.
The Bar Council, 5th June 2013
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
“In response to the Ministry of Justice consultation paper Transforming Legal Aid: Delivering a more credible and efficient system the Inner Temple has submitted the following response that can be viewed here.”
The Inner Temple, 5th June 2013
Source: www.innertemple.org.uk
“The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has today published its full response to the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) controversial consultation paper, Transforming Legal Aid. The response, which runs to over 150 pages, incorporates expert economic and statistical analysis, which forensically examines the Government’s proposals, highlighting major flaws.”
The Bar Council, 4th June 2013
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
“Plans to pay legal aid lawyers the same amount for a ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty’ plea could lead to defendants being pressurised into pleading guilty, warns the Bar Standards Board (BSB). The BSB is responsible for regulating barristers in the public interest, upholding the rule of law and protecting consumers.”
Bar Standards Board, 3rd June 2013
Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
“Barristers have attacked plans to cut £220m from the annual criminal case legal aid budget in England and Wales.”
BBC News, 4th June 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
