Features

Counsel talks to Gifty Edila who forged an award-winning career in local government despite encountering early prejudices at the Bar  

Q What drew you to the Bar initially, and what was your experience of applying for pupillage and early years of practice? 

A woman who defied death threats to give evidence in a landmark ‘honour killing’ case turned trainer when agencies failed to learn lessons from the case. By James Keeley  

A few months ago I met one of the bravest women I know.  

Mark Cannon pays tribute to Lord Toulson and his great contribution to the law  

In Willers v Joyce  [2016] UKSC 43 & 44 Lord (Roger) Toulson said: ‘The common law is prized for its combination of principle and pragmatism.’  

Quick to establish inquiries, are we getting any better at acting on their recommendations? Tom Kark QC and Polly Dyer consider the efficacy of the modern public inquiry system  

With the Grenfell Inquiry now set up, the blood contamination inquiry announced, the lessons learned from Hillsborough to be assimilated and the ongoing lessons being acquired in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, it would seem timely to revisit this area to look at the public/legal value of public inquiries, their scope, usefulness or otherwise.  

The fertile fields of Islamic finance and banking in Britain have a growing relationship with English contract law and ADR. By Scott Morrison  

Shari’a-compliant financing made possible the construction of London’s Shard and the purchase of Chelsea Barracks by a Qatari sovereign wealth fund (Project Blue Ltd v Commissioners for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs  [2016] EWCA Civ 485).  

The first Circuit-based mentoring scheme for women barristers is building confidence and camaraderie. Kate Brunner QC explains what sets it apart  

The Bar may appear to be awash with mentoring schemes, but only a small minority of barristers actually have a mentor, and it is particularly difficult on the far reaches of Circuit to access support and events based in London.  

With European links under pressure, HELP is at hand to preserve shared values grounded in respect for human rights and the rule of law. Guy Vassall-Adams QC reports  

These are testing times for race relations and the culture of respect for human rights in Europe. 

Upsides and flipsides: supervisors and pupils from the self-employed and employed Bar give warts-and-all accounts of their experiences of a year under very different wings  

Simple rebrand or first step to a modernising merger? Don’t underestimate the significance of the new Business and Property Courts, argues Ed Pepperall QC  

It all started in Birmingham.  

Record numbers of chambers are applying to the COIC Pupillage Matched Funding Scheme, now hitting its stride. Nathalie Lieven QC reports  

2016/ 2017 saw 40 pupillages supported by the Council of the Inns of Court (COIC) Pupillage Matched Funding Scheme, helping pupils in 37 sets of chambers.