*/
The winning essay is ‘A fiction of defendant participation: Single Justice Procedure offences should be moved to the civil jurisdiction’ by Hal McNulty
Brief summary
Through the Single Justice Procedure (SJP), defendants have become so marginal in their own criminal trials that it calls into question the state’s compliance with Article 6 of the ECHR.
How and why did you pick this topic?
This past year I have been reading Tristan Kirk’s articles in The Standard in which he tells the stories of people convicted through the SJP. Our criminal justice system is drastically under-resourced and overstretched, so ways to make efficiency savings are very attractive to lawmakers. But the SJP does this by cutting protections for defendants. I wanted to find a way to keep these savings that would not disadvantage the accused.
The full essay is reproduced below.
Hal McNulty is the winner of the Bar Council's Law Reform Essay Competition 2024.
Brief summary
Through the Single Justice Procedure (SJP), defendants have become so marginal in their own criminal trials that it calls into question the state’s compliance with Article 6 of the ECHR.
How and why did you pick this topic?
This past year I have been reading Tristan Kirk’s articles in The Standard in which he tells the stories of people convicted through the SJP. Our criminal justice system is drastically under-resourced and overstretched, so ways to make efficiency savings are very attractive to lawmakers. But the SJP does this by cutting protections for defendants. I wanted to find a way to keep these savings that would not disadvantage the accused.
The full essay is reproduced below.
The winning essay is ‘A fiction of defendant participation: Single Justice Procedure offences should be moved to the civil jurisdiction’ by Hal McNulty
Chair of the Bar sets out a busy calendar for the rest of the year
By Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
Examined by Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
Time is precious for barristers. Every moment spent chasing paperwork, organising diaries, or managing admin is time taken away from what matters most: preparation, advocacy and your clients. That’s where Eden Assistants step in
AlphaBiolabs has announced its latest Giving Back donation to RAY Ceredigion, a grassroots West Wales charity that provides play, learning and community opportunities for families across Ceredigion County
Rachel Davenport, Co-founder and Director at AlphaBiolabs, outlines why barristers, solicitors, judges, social workers and local authorities across the UK trust AlphaBiolabs for court-admissible testing
Through small but meaningful efforts, we can restore the sense of collegiality that has been so sorely eroded, says Baldip Singh
Come in with your eyes open, but don’t let fear cloud the prospect. A view from practice by John Dove
Looking to develop a specialist practice? Mariya Peykova discusses the benefits of secondments and her placement at the Information Commissioner’s Office
Anon Academic explains why he’s leaving the world of English literature for the Bar – after all, the two are not as far apart as they may first seem...
Review by Stephen Cragg KC
