*/
The Bar Council will contribute to a review of social mobility led by MP Alan Milburn, designed to champion the prospects of state educated candidates seeking to enter the professions.
The review panel, on which Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury and Geoffrey Vos QC will serve, has been set up alongside a government White Paper, New Opportunities—Fair Chances for the Future, published in January.
Lord Neuberger’s 2007 inquiry into the social background of barristers made 57 recommendations, which the Bar Council is currently implementing, and these will play a key role in Milburn’s review. Lord Neuberger found familiarity with the professions and lack of finance remained a significant barrier to entry.
Bar Council chair, Desmond Browne QC, said there were no “quick fixes”, and the process of ensuring diversity at the Bar should start at school and continue all the way to the Bench. “No one should ever be deterred from a career at the Bar by the thought that ‘it is just not for me’. Misconceptions of that sort too easily become self-fulfilling prophecies.”
See also Parliamentary Brief, this issue, p 8.
The review panel, on which Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury and Geoffrey Vos QC will serve, has been set up alongside a government White Paper, New Opportunities—Fair Chances for the Future, published in January.
Lord Neuberger’s 2007 inquiry into the social background of barristers made 57 recommendations, which the Bar Council is currently implementing, and these will play a key role in Milburn’s review. Lord Neuberger found familiarity with the professions and lack of finance remained a significant barrier to entry.
Bar Council chair, Desmond Browne QC, said there were no “quick fixes”, and the process of ensuring diversity at the Bar should start at school and continue all the way to the Bench. “No one should ever be deterred from a career at the Bar by the thought that ‘it is just not for me’. Misconceptions of that sort too easily become self-fulfilling prophecies.”
See also Parliamentary Brief, this issue, p 8.
The Bar Council will contribute to a review of social mobility led by MP Alan Milburn, designed to champion the prospects of state educated candidates seeking to enter the professions.
The Chair of the Bar reports back
Susie Griffin on the admin that keeps barristers from billable work
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, explains how global events can influence the performance of pensions and ISAs, and why taking a long-term approach to investing is often the most effective strategy
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, discusses what family law professionals need to know about hallucinogens, from the main hallucinogenic drugs encountered in family proceedings, to their effects and the testing options available
Harmony Christian Ministries is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
By David Green
At the start of her term, Chair of the Bar 2026 Kirsty Brimelow KC set out a series of priorities for the year ahead. One of those priorities was children in the justice system
As the world becomes more digital, Barbara Vinagre Mota examines international research into the mental health consequences of judges’ exposure to graphic and immersive evidence, highlighting the importance of support systems
In an era of patient-centred care and growing concern over misconduct in medical settings, why do women still lack the right to choose women consultants for examination and treatment? Charles Davey investigates
Reviewed by Daniel Barnett
James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain until 27 September Rothko in Florence at Palazzo Strozzi until 23 August Reviewed by Stephen Cragg KC