Your Bar Association

With keynote speeches from the new Lord Chief Justice and from Lord Pannick QC, Saba Naqshbandi explains why you should attend this year’s Annual Bar Conference  

Key Facts
Date: Saturday 2 November 2013
Venue: Westminster Park Plaza
CPD: 6 points
Cost: Prices start from £125 

Hon. President: The Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Jackson

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Tuesday 28 February 2012
Seminar: “Experts – their use and abuse”
Moderated by The Hon. Mr Justice Akenhead 

Fiona Jackson reports back from the anniversary dinner held at the House of Lords to celebrate twenty years of the Association of Women Barristers.  

On Tuesday 4th October in the Cholmondeley Room of the House of Lords, our former President, Baroness Hale, hosted a memorable Dinner to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Association of Women Barristers. Another former President, Lady Justice Arden, also joined with the Solicitor General, Lady Butler-Sloss, Baronesses Deech and Scotland, our current President, Mrs. Justice Cox, and members and other distinguished guests in toasting the success of the AWB in its many campaigns. 

Shape the future or become the past 

The Chairman of the Bar, Peter Lodder QC, told Bar Conference delegates that they needed to shape the future or risk becoming the past in a lively opening plenary session.

The Chair of the 26th Annual Bar Conference, Taryn Lee, kicked off proceedings (for the second year at London’s Hilton Metropole Hotel), by introducing the day’s theme - ‘Shaping the future: a modern Bar for a modern market’. She encouraged the record 650 plus in attendance to focus on the strengths of the profession as they consider developing their practices. She outlined the format for the day, including encouraging modern-minded technophiles to tweet throughout the conference, which proved particularly popular. It also meant those not attending could keep track of what was going on, whether in plenary sessions or in workshops. Barristers, journalists, sponsors, and even humble PR professionals were getting in on the act. The Conference Chair even made time for a tweet or two. 

The Australian Bar Association Conference examined how English law deals with human rights considerations, privacy issues and direct access, reports Justice Glenn Martin.  

Why did 150 Australian barristers and judges come to London in June to hear about the law of England and Wales? We, the Australian Bar Association (“ABA”), came precisely because the law is, to varying degrees, different in this jurisdiction. And because of the different ways in which the profession and the judiciary have dealt with problems which have also arisen in Australia. And because exposure to different ideas and attitudes challenges you to re-assess your own decisions and behaviour. 

The family Bar is at breaking point, warns Desmond Browne QC