Counsel Magazine

THE Annual Law Reform Lecture was delivered on Thursday 20 November, with the Attorney General, the Rt Hon Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC, delivering a speech entitled ‘Justice for All: closing the gap for fraud victims’. The speech set out the Government’s ongoing agenda against fraud – a crime which costs the country an estimated £14bn a year – and the challenges facing criminal justice.
Baroness Scotland spoke of the need for the legal profession to engage positively with ongoing reforms and to see the criminal justice system as a public service.

Following the speech, the winners of the Law Reform Essay Competition were announced. Sponsored for the fourth consecutive year by the Bar Council Scholarship Trust, the Essay Competition was judged by the Chairman of the Law Reform Committee, Stephen Worthington QC, with input from the vice chairs, Richard Drabble QC, Alison Green and Tom Dumont.