A ton of new QCs hit the courts – Litigation Futures

Posted February 19th, 2014 in barristers, diversity, news, queen's counsel, solicitor advocates, statistics by sally

‘Exactly 100 advocates – made up of 95 barristers and five solicitors – were today named in the annual silk round.’

Full story

Litigation Futures, 19th February 2014

Source: www.litigationfutures.co.uk

VHCC cases jeopardised by fee cuts – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted February 3rd, 2014 in barristers, budgets, costs, fees, fraud, legal aid, news, solicitor advocates, trials by tracey

‘Multi-million-pound fraud trials are being put in jeopardy by the Ministry of Justice’s cuts to advocates’ fees, the Gazette has learned.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 3rd February 2014

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Bar Standards Board extends first registration phase for QASA – Bar Standards Board

“The Bar Standards Board will extend the first QASA registration period to ensure that the Criminal Bar will have more time to consider the consequences of government changes to legal aid before registering. The end of the first registration period will now be 9 March 2014, which will be after the Ministry of Justice publishes its final response to the consultation, ‘Transforming legal aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system’.”

Full press release

Bar Standards Board, 10th May 2013

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Bar says no to plea-only advocates – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 16th, 2012 in barristers, guilty pleas, news, solicitor advocates by tracey

“The Bar Council has strongly opposed the creation of a category of ‘non-trial’ advocates in the planned advocacy accreditation scheme. The ‘plea-only’ category – originally proposed by solicitor advocates – would put the public at risk and undermine public confidence in the profession and criminal justice system, the council says in its response to the fourth and final consultation on the controversial Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA).”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette. 13th October 2012

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

 

Bar Standards Board’s ‘research’ is crass and deeply flawed – The Guardian

“Barristers think higher court advocates aren’t much cop. Let’s not pretend that’s a reliable indicator of their quality.”

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The Guardian, 23rd April 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Solicitor advocates dragging standards down, says BSB research – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted April 19th, 2012 in advocacy, news, solicitor advocates, standards by tracey

“Low rates for criminal legal aid and the growing share of work taken by solicitor advocates are contributing to a decline in advocacy standards that is harming the administration of justice, according to a survey by the Bar Standards Board. The report, Perceptions of Criminal Advocacy, showed that over three-quarters (78%) of the 762 practitioners who completed an online survey felt that standards of advocacy have declined over the past five years. However, Law Society chief executive Desmond Hudson today condemned the study as ‘deeply flawed’ and ‘self serving’.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 19th April 2012

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Perceptions of criminal advocacy report – Bar Standards Board

Posted April 19th, 2012 in advocacy, reports, solicitor advocates, standards by tracey

“We commissioned ORC International to conduct research into the frequency with which underperformance is encountered in the criminal courts.”

Full report

Bar Standards Board, 18th April 2012

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Quality test ‘should not protect barristers’ – Law Society’s Gazette

“Controversy about the use of judicial evaluation in a new scheme to assess the quality of advocates has escalated, with solicitors’ bodies warning that the scheme could become a means to protect barristers.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 8th March 2012

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Advocacy assurance scheme is ‘bar-centric’, solicitor claims – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted August 16th, 2011 in advocacy, barristers, news, quality assurance, solicitor advocates by sally

“A significant number of solicitor advocates will not qualify for higher rights advocacy under a proposed ‘bar-centric’ Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA), the chair of the Solicitors Association of Higher Court Advocates (SAHCA) has claimed.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 16th August 2011

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Solicitor advocates make final effort to halt scheme – Law Society’s Gazette

“Solicitor advocates have made a final effort to stop a scheme that will see judges evaluating their competence, which they claim would discriminate against solicitors.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 8th July 2011

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Solicitor-advocate training ‘not fit for purpose’ – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 17th, 2010 in legal education, news, solicitor advocates by sally

“The training given to solicitor-advocates is ‘not fit for purpose’ and must be improved to conquer the perception that they are inferior to barristers, according to an independent review.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 16th December 2010

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

New advocacy proposals ‘prejudice’ solicitors – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 25th, 2010 in advocacy, news, solicitor advocates by sally

“A proposed new quality assurance scheme for criminal advocates could prejudice solicitors because it places too much weight on the views of judges, an advocates’ group has warned.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 25th October 2010

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Law Society complains over judge’s remarks on solicitor-advocates – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 1st, 2009 in news, solicitor advocates by sally

“The Law Society has made an official complaint over what it says were ‘inappropriate comments’ by a Crown court judge about the alleged incompetence of three solicitor-advocates.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 30th April 2009

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Fraud case judge slams solicitor- advocates for ‘incompetence’ – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted April 24th, 2009 in news, solicitor advocates by sally

“An extraordinary public row has erupted over the role of solicitor-advocates after a Crown Court judge told a court that he came close to discharging a jury because of concerns that a solicitor lacked the competence to represent his client properly.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette,  23rd April 2009

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk