“Those accused of violent crimes such as rape and terrorism could struggle to find appropriate legal representation if the ‘cab rank’ rule is abolished, according to a new report obtained by the Bar Standards Board. The study is in response to a report commissioned by the Legal Services Board which argues that the rule is no longer relevant.”
Bar Standards Board, 27th March 2013
Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
“Barristers yesterday launched a two-pronged assault on a controversial academic report recommending that the cab rank rule be removed from the Bar Code of Conduct, with twin assessments by high-powered silks contradicting its findings.”
Legal Futures, 27th March 2013
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
“Ten years on from the invasion of Iraq by British and American forces, Jo Wilding recalls her work there, and describes how now as an immigration barrister she meets the victims of the conflict as clients seeking asylum in the UK.”
Garden Court Chambers Blog,
Source: www.gclaw.wordpress.com
“A Welsh barrister has warned that lawyers could go on strike against the UK government’s latest plan to cut the legal aid bill in England and Wales.”
BBC News, 24th March 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“Amongst criminal lawyers, the issues surrounding QASA – the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates – that have been rumbling on for a few years, is coming to a head, writes Dan Bunting. The Criminal Bar Association have come out very strongly against it which prompted a strong response from Baroness Ruth Deech, the Chair of the Bar Standards Board. It has also managed to achieve the impossible – uniting barristers and solicitors.”
LegalVoice, 21st March 2013
Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk
“The criminal bar may be facing its darkest moment but applications for bar school continue to rise.”
The Guardian, 21st March 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“The Bar Standards Board (BSB) chair’s description of opponents of the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) as ‘a noisy minority of dissenters’ received an immediate high-powered response from criminal law barristers.”
Legal Futures, 21st March 2013
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
“These are remarkably difficult times for all the publicly-funded Bar. Whilst there is great concern and unrest at the criminal Bar, civil and family practitioners will see entire practice areas removed from the scope of legal aid in just a few weeks. The Bar Council has to watch and protect the interests of all practitioners.”
The Bar Council, 15th March 2013
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
“A new report published recently by the Bar Standards Board shows the benefits of its recent monitoring programme.”
Bar Standards Board, 15th March 2013
Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
“Legal aid cuts, the Jackson reforms and the introduction of competitive tendering for criminal law work will split the Bar into a two-tier profession, with mid-sized generalist chambers set to suffer, a specialist Bar consultant has predicted.”
Legal Futures, 12th March 2013
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
“The Bar Standards Board today responded to the draft Legal Services Board business plan 2013-14.”
Bar Standards Board, 8th March 2013
Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
” The Chairman of the Bar and the President of the Law Society have released a joint statement on the new Contractual Terms.”
The Bar Council. 7th March 2013
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
“The Bar Council has publicly attacked the Legal Services Board for appearing immune from financial pressures affecting the legal profession and government departments.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 4th March 2013
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
“A survey conducted by the Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has found nearly half the profession (42.4%), across all practice areas, regularly carry out voluntary legal pro bono work, in addition to paid work. It also found that 36.6% of the Bar regularly volunteer for non-legal charitable organisations.”
The Bar Council, 27th February 2013
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
“Sets of chambers and barristers have the opportunity to influence how they are supervised by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) by taking part in a consultation exercise launched today.”
Bar Standards Board, 26th February 2013
Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
“Barristers should soon be free to give their personal opinions on cases when the rule restricting them to voicing only clients’ views is finally lifted – four years after the change was first mooted.”
Legal Futures, 27th February 2013
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
“The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, along with the Criminal Bar Association and Circuit Leaders have today published evidence that the Crown Prosecution Service (‘CPS’) has adopted deliberate practices not to instruct the correct advocate for a given case if there is a financial interest to the CPS in keeping the work in-house.”
The Bar Council, 25th February 2013
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
“The government needs to deal with range of defects in the new rules for conditional fee agreements (CFAs) and damages-based agreements (DBAs), the Bar Council has urged ahead of a debate on them in the House of Lords tomorrow.”
Litigation Futures, 25th February 2013
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
“Britain’s most senior law officer has told the head of the RSPCA that he could consider hiring an experienced criminal lawyer to review the charity’s controversial prosecution policy.”
Daily Telegraph, 22nd February 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“The Bar Standards Board has commissioned an external agency to review its professional conduct complaints processes. The action was taken following an internal report which showed that Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) barristers were over represented in the complaints process.”
Bar Standards Board, 19th February 2013
Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
