Eugene is Communications and Press Officer at the Bar Standards Board. Prior to joining the BSB, he worked at the national disability charity Scope and the think tank Demos.
Rupert Butler returned to the Bar in 2003, after a three year hiatus from practice. A barrister since 1988, he specialises in various areas of law, including commercial, sports, and media. He spent two years working in a solicitors’ firm and it was here that he honed his litigation skills. At the time, he says, “I was always frustrated and held back by the limits on barristers [who wanted to undertake litigation]. It meant you could offer a service, but not a complete service...”
That all changed in January 2014. The new Handbook was introduced by the Bar Standards Board (BSB). Previous rules preventing self-employed barristers from applying for authorisation to conduct litigation were removed. Butler is enthusiastic about the change – confident that it will help him adapt the way he delivers services to meet the needs of his clients. “I’m now a genuine one-stop-shop. I will now be able to handle [clients’] needs without the intervention of a solicitor.”
The new Bar Council earnings report presents a collective challenge for the self-employed Bar, remote hearings are changing and Bar Conference is back next month
Launch of the Institute of Neurotechnology and Law
Paul Magrath of ICLR recalls the chequered history of law reporting prior to the 1865 establishment of a Council of Law Reporting
Leading drug, alcohol and DNA testing laboratory, AlphaBiolabs, has made a £500 donation to North West charity Child Concern as part of its Giving Back campaign
Gail Evans, Technical Trainer at AlphaBiolabs, examines the latest trends in illicit drug use as seen in the laboratory, from designer drugs to ‘unexpected’ substances in a donor’s sample
Louise Crush explores the value you can measure in monetary terms alongside the many non-tangible benefits to working with a financial adviser
By Professor Jo Delahunty KC, Kate Brunner KC and Dr Ann Olivarius KC (Hon) OBE
The ‘non-party political’ employment silk advising Labour talks to Stephanie Hayward about employer failure to tackle workplace sexual harassment and the urgent need to reinvent whistleblowing culture
From Parliamentary standards to barrister standards – Kathryn Stone OBE, Chair of the Bar’s regulator, talks to Anthony Inglese CB about roots, respect and reviews
Jessica Foster reviews State Trials and Error – fundraising and showcasing the musical and theatrical talent within the legal profession
Alex Goodman KC on why our electoral laws need an urgent upgrade – they were not designed to address the corruption of popular opinion by AI and deepfakes
