Counsel Magazine

It’s been one year since the Harman Report was published, so where are we on tackling harassment and bullying at the Bar? Nadia Motraghi KC meets Dame Maria Miller, the Bar’s first Commissioner for Conduct, to find out 

Why litigation is like chess, what character-building moments can teach you, and the importance of focusing on the positives. By Isabel McArdle

Developing a tech start-up demands a different definition of excellence to the Bar, says Saara Idelbi. The co-creator of Advocatr on entrepreneurship, AI advocacy training, and matching the thrill of a killer cross-examination 

Harry Stratton, Lucy Masoud, Graeme Hall, Justin Bates KC, Colin Perrin, the International Advisory and Dispute Resolution Unit and Dan Bunting share the stories behind their awards and encourage others to get involved in pro bono work. Introduction by Advocate 

The Chief Legal Officer to the Metropolitan Police, barrister Brett Welch, tells Anthony Inglese CB about his mission and the work to turn the Met around 

Ben Rowe’s practical tips for hitting the ground running and going the distance 

The first few months on your feet can be daunting and exhilarating in equal measure! Rebecca Kocerhan shares advice on what to expect, managing nerves and making the most of every experience in court 

Leah Arthur, a pupil, and her second seat supervisor, John Goss, share their perspectives on building a productive pupil-supervisor relationship 

Don Turner explains why the habits, relationships and commercial understanding you build during pupillage can prove just as valuable as legal expertise 

Henry Fingerhut outlines what the Bar Standards Board AI guidance means for early career barristers 

A journey through the courts and to the Bar. By Anon, a disabled domestic abuse survivor 

The Sir Mota Singh Moot has returned, offering an impressive glimpse of a more representative Bar. If this is what the future looks like, why does the present still lag so far behind? ask Baldip Singh and Prof Jo Delahunty KC 

Natasha Jackson explores a quietly released government report that identifies biodiversity loss as a high national security risk 

Drawing on his recently published Independent Review of Fraud Offences, Jonathan Fisher KC outlines the association between organised criminal activity and digital fraud. He discusses the way forward as the UK is poised to lead the G20 in the coming year 

Not yet, says Jacob Turner. Regulation, unlike the technology itself, is a domain the legal profession can still control 

The golden age of advocacy? David Langwallner pays homage to the filmic if contentious barrister Sir Edward Carson and some of his contemporaries 

Reviewed by Daniel Barnett 

William Byfield’s summer memories 

A strange summer unfolds. By William Byfield 

By Emma Price and Emma-Louise Fenelon  

Reviewed by Adiba Bassam (Demir) 

The Chief Legal Officer to the Metropolitan Police, barrister Brett Welch, tells Anthony Inglese CB about his mission and the work to turn the Met around 

Solicitor General Ellie Reeves KC MP discusses her decade as a trade union and employment law barrister, the demands of life as a Law Officer and the number one priority shaping her work. Interview by Anthony Inglese CB

There is no typical day in the life as a Supreme Court judicial assistant, says Josephine Gillingwater, and that’s what makes the role so enjoyably diverse  

Amelia Clegg shares the lessons standing her in good stead as 2026 Chair of the Young Barristers’ Committee and the priorities for her term 

Simon Regis CBE, Chair of the Bar Council Employed Barristers’ Committee, sets out his three key priorities for the year ahead 

A career shaped by advocacy beyond her practice, and the realities of living with an invisible disability – Dr Natasha Shotunde, Black Barristers’ Network Co-Founder and its Chair for seven years, reflects on a decade at the Bar  

It’s been five years since the groundbreaking QC competition in which six Black women barristers, including the 2025 Chair of the Bar, took silk. Yet today, the number of Black KCs remains ‘critically low’. Desirée Artesi talks to Baroness Scotland KC, Allison Munroe KC and Melanie Simpson KC about the critical success factors, barriers and ideas for embedding change

Brie Stevens-Hoare KC looks at the range of initiatives aiming to increase diversity in judicial appointments. What’s making the difference? What more needs to be done?

Senior barristers reflect on the progress made since the publication of Race at the Bar: A Snapshot Report  in 2021, as well as the persistent challenges and cultural shifts still needed. Interviews by Mariam Diaby 

From a traumatic formative education to exceptional criminal silk – Laurie-Anne Power KC talks about her path to the Bar, pursuit of equality and speaking out against discrimination (not just during Black History Month)

The smarter the machines, the more vital the human advocate. As AI reshapes the profession, Lynda Gibbs KC (Hon) and Wendy Showell Nicholas show why empathy, judgement and persuasion are the barrister’s greatest strengths 

As AI reshapes legal practice, the advocates who thrive will be those willing to dig deep, says Michaela Hardwick. By mining the rich seam of their experience and honing the human skills at the profession’s core, barristers can unearth what’s needed to build a sustainable practice  

The law can feel transactional at times. So, beyond technical excellence, what makes the solicitor-counsel relationship work, and what makes it thrive? Julie Norris offers a view from both sides of the profession

How to retain the edge? Looking beyond the law can sharpen client insight and strengthen a practice, says Charlie Newington-Bridges 

Revolution or just another tool? Charting the rise of AI at the Bar, Julie Ahadi argues that the goal is meaningful – not maximal – adoption, with professional risk resting squarely on the individual barrister 

A career at the Crown Prosecution Service – insight from Siobhan Blake and Ibrahim Ilyas   

The Bar Council crunches the data to tell the real story of who gets pupillage... and when 

Newly minted Bar graduates compete at a ratio of 300:1 for a golden ticket to Wonka’s Criminal Justice Factory. The Secret Barrister explains why…

The Bar Standards Board on what you need to know about training to become a barrister in England and Wales

Laurence Cooper explores the high-stakes world of choosing a Bar training course provider