Public Funding

Article: Another stark warning for the publicly funded Bar

“It is unlikely that there will be enough publicly funded criminal case work to support the number of people who wish to earn a living from publicly funded practice at the criminal Bar.

Article: Bar Council appoints Toby Craig as its first Head of Communications

THE Bar Council, the Approved Regulator for barristers in England and Wales, has appointed Toby Craig as its first Head of Communications.

Article: Bar Council calls for access to justice in an age of austerity

SPEAKING at two fringe meetings at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, the Chairman-Elect of the Bar Council, Peter Lodder QC, stressed the importance of the legal profession working with Government to maintain access to justice, despite...

Article: Bar Council Chairman warns of legal aid cuts’ threat to diversity

DESMOND Browne QC, Chairman of the Bar Council, speaking at the 7th Biennial Minority Lawyers’ Conference, has highlighted the Bar’s ongoing commitment to increasing diversity and access to the profession. Approximately 50% of those entering the...

Article: Bar Council holds Annual General Meeting

THE Bar Council held its Annual General Meeting on the 13 June 2009 at the offices of the Bar Council. The meeting was preceded by a full Bar Council. Desmond Browne QC, the Chairman of the Bar, said: “There has never been a more challenging time f...

Article: Bar Council launches court action over consultations

The Ministry of Justice is refusing Bar Council requests to extend the deadline for “inadequate and unfair” consultations on Very High Cost Cases (“VHCCs”) and advocates’ graduated fees despite threats of judicial review. Solicitors acting for the Bar...

Article: Bar Council remains concerned over some aspects of the Coroners and Justice Bill

THE Coroners and Justice Bill has begun its Report Stage in the House of Commons. The Bar Council, and the Criminal Bar Association, have welcomed Government concessions in relation to information sharing and in putting the decision for an inquest to...

Article: BSB session at the Bar Conference - Saturday 6 November

The BSB workshop will cover the changes in regulation brought about by the Legal Services Act 2007 and the new regulatory entities that affect the profession, including the Bar Standards Board, Legal Services Board and the Office of Legal Complaints.

Article: Deal over complex terror and murder trials undermined by Government’s eleventh hour change in proposals

A deal to ensure proper funding for representation in the most complex criminal trials has today been threatened by a last-minute change of heart by the Government, the Bar said. The Bar Council and the Criminal Bar Association have reacted angrily to...

Article: Disciplinary tribunals could struggle without extra funds

Extra funding for legal disciplinary proceedings may have to be found to cope with the fallout from the economic crisis, the Master of the Rolls, Lord Neuberger has warned. In a speech to the Disciplinary Conference in February, Lord Neuberger...

Article: Family lawyers voice concern at plans to reform legal support for vulnerable women and children

THE Bar Council and the Family Law Bar Association have expressed concern over plans, announced by the Ministry of Justice, to roll up payments to barristers and solicitors into a single advocacy fee, putting at risk effective access to justice for...

Article: Fee-sharing favours solicitor-advocates over barristers

Solicitor-advocates may be appointed for cases beyond their competency because of a desire to keep costs low, a report commissioned by the Legal Services Board (“LSB”) has found.

Article: Friends in law

Chambers are being encouraged to contribute to pro bono work under the “Friends in Law” scheme launched by the Bar Pro Bono Unit and the Free Representation Unit. Scheme members can highlight their pro bono work on stationery and websites. 

Article: Junior Bar suffering under “lax” legal aid regime

MPs have warned legal aid reforms are threatening the future of the junior Bar, in a damning report on the Legal Services Commission (“LSC”). The Committee of Public Accounts (“PAC”) report into legal aid procurement, published in February, critici...

Article: Kinch sets out CBA priorities

The new Criminal Bar Association (“CBA”) Chair, Christopher Kinch QC has vowed to stand up for publicly funded clients during his tenure.

Article: LALYs nominations

The Legal Aid Practitioners Group is seeking nominations for the 2010 Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards (“LALYs”). The ten award categories include legal aid barrister (sponsored by the Bar Council) and outstanding achievement (sponsored by Man...

Article: Lawyers gathered in London agree communiqué on Access to Justice

MORE than 50 bar association leaders from around the world have approved a communiqué in support of access to justice. The members of the group, which gathered in London on the occasion of the opening of the legal year, have voiced their concerns ...

Article: Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards scooped by Felicity Williams and Robert Latham

THE Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards saw two outstanding publicly-funded practitioners scoop the two awards, for Legal Aid Barrister of the Year and Young Legal Aid Barrister of the Year. Cherie Booth QC presented the awards at a ceremony which saw...

Article: Libel fee cut will not go ahead

Plans to cut conditional fee agreements (“CFA”) success fees for libel cases by up to 90 per cent have been dropped owing to lack of Parliamentary time. The controversial plans, which were opposed by many claimant libel lawyers, would have capped the...

Article: Listing the top legal aid earners

The Ministry of Justice (“MoJ”) list of the Bar’s top earners in publicly funded work contained several errors and was based on “unreliable” data, the Bar Council has said. Publication of the MoJ list, an annual event that prompts news stories on which...

Article: More family cuts

Funding for specialist advisers providing support in severe cases of family breakdown has been cut, in moves announced last month by the Ministry of Justice and Legal Services Commission. Lucy Theis QC, Chairman of the Family Law Bar Association,...

Article: New Chairman of the Criminal Bar Association calls for a halt to the Government’s “Cavalier” legal aid cuts

THE new Chairman of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), Paul Mendelle QC, has called for the Government to re-think its approach towards the publicly-funded Bar. He is taking over as Chairman of the CBA, which represents over 3,600 criminal barristers...

Article: New review into the delivery of legal aid

Senior civil servant Sir Ian Magee is to lead a review into proposals to separate the Criminal Defence Service (“CDS”) and Community Legal Service (“CLS”), as part of a review to ensure that the £2.1 billion currently spent on legal aid every year is...

Article: Prioritising legal aid

The Ministry of Justice has announced plans to re-focus legal aid away from low value damages claims against public bodies or “hopeless” judicial reviews. Before legal aid is granted in divorce and child contact disputes, the LSC will contact opp...

Article: Pro Bono Costs Orders

Lord Neuberger, the Master of the Rolls, and the former Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, have appealed for lawyers to make greater use of pro bono costs orders.

Article: Pro bono round up

Lord Goldsmith QC has expressed concern that budgets for pro bono and voluntary advice sector budgets are falling just as the recession is increasing demand. Addressing the National Pro Bono Conference, in London in November, he emphasised the need...

Article: Publicly funded Bar must diversify

New Bar Chairman’s inaugural speech Peter Lodder QC, the new Chairman of the Bar Council, has called on publicly funded barristers to diversify their practices. The Chairman reassured barristers who do legal aid work that they have a “realistic...

Article: Stability for the publicly funded Bar, modernisation for all barristers - 2010 inaugural speech

SECURING stability for the publicly funded Bar and the need for all barristers to modernise in the fast-moving legal landscape have been set at the heart of the agenda for 2010 by incoming Bar Council Chairman, Nicholas Green QC. The leading...

Article: Supreme Court funding is not “satisfactory”

JUSTICE SYSTEMLord Phillips has called for greater security of funding for the Supreme Court.