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THE 24th Annual Bar Conference, which took place on 7 November 2009 in central London, focused this year on Access to Justice. At a time when the Bar is facing regulatory changes which could revolutionise the way it works, and the future of the publicly-funded Bar is endangered by repeated cuts to the legal aid budget, the Conference heard leading figures from the legal, political, media and academic worlds discuss the future of the justice system. The keynote speaker was Sir Nicolas Bratza, one of the Vice-Presidents of the European Court of Human Rights. Other speakers, such as Dominic Grieve QC MP, Lord Carlile of Berriew QC, Diane Abbott MP and Sara Payne, the first Victims’ Champion, addressed issues such as mediation, the treatment of women in the justice system, pro bono work, and international access to justice.
Opening the Conference, Desmond Browne QC, the Chairman of the Bar, described the challenges facing the legal aid system, at a time of unprecedented pressure on public expenditure. Mr Browne set out his concerns about the state of the legal aid system, in what is the sixtieth anniversary year of its creation. He discussed the way in which the Legal Services Commission, the body responsible for administering legal aid in England and Wales, is managing its task, saying that “In the past few months the Legal Services Commission has been at great pains to have us ‘celebrate’ legal aid’s sixtieth birthday...in all the party euphoria the Commission generated, it overlooked those fundamental principles which govern a social democracy’s obligations for the welfare of its citizens. Today, more than ever, at a time of deep economic recession and confronted by laws of ever-increasing complexity, we need to remember those principles – and be sure that we apply them in practice.”
Opening the Conference, Desmond Browne QC, the Chairman of the Bar, described the challenges facing the legal aid system, at a time of unprecedented pressure on public expenditure. Mr Browne set out his concerns about the state of the legal aid system, in what is the sixtieth anniversary year of its creation. He discussed the way in which the Legal Services Commission, the body responsible for administering legal aid in England and Wales, is managing its task, saying that “In the past few months the Legal Services Commission has been at great pains to have us ‘celebrate’ legal aid’s sixtieth birthday...in all the party euphoria the Commission generated, it overlooked those fundamental principles which govern a social democracy’s obligations for the welfare of its citizens. Today, more than ever, at a time of deep economic recession and confronted by laws of ever-increasing complexity, we need to remember those principles – and be sure that we apply them in practice.”
THE 24th Annual Bar Conference, which took place on 7 November 2009 in central London, focused this year on Access to Justice. At a time when the Bar is facing regulatory changes which could revolutionise the way it works, and the future of the publicly-funded Bar is endangered by repeated cuts to the legal aid budget, the Conference heard leading figures from the legal, political, media and academic worlds discuss the future of the justice system. The keynote speaker was Sir Nicolas Bratza, one of the Vice-Presidents of the European Court of Human Rights. Other speakers, such as Dominic Grieve QC MP, Lord Carlile of Berriew QC, Diane Abbott MP and Sara Payne, the first Victims’ Champion, addressed issues such as mediation, the treatment of women in the justice system, pro bono work, and international access to justice.
Update from the Chair of the Bar
By Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group
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How to build profile without compromising professional duties. By Naumaan Farooq, Co-Founder of Inked PR
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, examines the role of cut-off levels, and the wider range of factors that must be considered when interpreting results for family court proceedings
Endometriosis Awareness North, a charity raising awareness of endometriosis and supporting those affected across the North of England, has received a £500 boost from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
A decade of reviews and research has disrupted accepted thinking in the search for causality. Suicides following abuse have overtaken domestic homicides. Is the law keeping up? Professor Susan Edwards KC (Hon) examines recent cases and the obstacles to successful prosecution
The case against judge-only justice – and why efficiency is not enough. By Professor Leslie Thomas KC
Heritage as an anchor and a compass, finding our common humanity and embracing the power of the outsider – Melina Antoniadis’s lessons learnt
Seeing the full picture – Baljit Ubhey OBE outlines the CPS action plan to tackle violence against women and girls, offering insights directly relevant to courtroom practice
Lauren Fullerton examines the how, what and why of setting up a second chambers base
