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The size of the junior Bar is shrinking, Andrew Langdon QC told the annual Bar Council conference in London earlier this month.
‘Most believe the lack of confidence in public funding is partly what has caused chambers to recruit fewer junior members,’ he said, along with the growth in the number of solicitor higher court advocates.
This year, he said, there had been ‘some sign’ that confidence may have returned and recruitment to the junior Bar may be ‘heading back to a healthier place’. But, he said: ‘We are currently losing young barristers who see how hard it will be to pay back the debts they incur in training.’
Langdon warned: ‘We will wither on the vine if we do not take care of the most junior barristers.’
Accusing successive governments of undervaluing the delivery of justice and taking the publicly funded profession for granted, he told barristers they must ‘call out ill-conceived reform’ that may save money, but that will ‘demote the quality of justice’.
While fees from publicly funded work have been shrinking, Langdon told delegates that income from international work was increasing. ‘Confounding those who predicted our demise,’ he said the overall size of the Bar has continued to grow.
Chaired by Rachel Spearing, the conference heard from speakers including Sir Keir Starmer QC MP, Lady Justice Hallett, terror-law watchdog Max Hill QC, retired Court of Appeal judge, Sir Henry Brooke and Chairman of the Judicial Appointments Commission, Lord Kakkar. (See pp 12-21.)
Meanwhile, as Westminster is gripped by allegations of sexual impropriety, Labour peer and barrister, Baroness Kennedy QC warned that young barristers are vulnerable to sexual harassment.
She told The Times: ‘At the Bar, young women and some young men are vulnerable because they are in a highly competitive world seeking training places and tenancies and briefs.
‘There are many people who might seek their favours to advance their career. Stories abound and chambers should have clear rules and be swift in ending the tenancies of people who abuse their power. But it is still too hard for women to speak out.’
The size of the junior Bar is shrinking, Andrew Langdon QC told the annual Bar Council conference in London earlier this month.
‘Most believe the lack of confidence in public funding is partly what has caused chambers to recruit fewer junior members,’ he said, along with the growth in the number of solicitor higher court advocates.
This year, he said, there had been ‘some sign’ that confidence may have returned and recruitment to the junior Bar may be ‘heading back to a healthier place’. But, he said: ‘We are currently losing young barristers who see how hard it will be to pay back the debts they incur in training.’
Langdon warned: ‘We will wither on the vine if we do not take care of the most junior barristers.’
Accusing successive governments of undervaluing the delivery of justice and taking the publicly funded profession for granted, he told barristers they must ‘call out ill-conceived reform’ that may save money, but that will ‘demote the quality of justice’.
While fees from publicly funded work have been shrinking, Langdon told delegates that income from international work was increasing. ‘Confounding those who predicted our demise,’ he said the overall size of the Bar has continued to grow.
Chaired by Rachel Spearing, the conference heard from speakers including Sir Keir Starmer QC MP, Lady Justice Hallett, terror-law watchdog Max Hill QC, retired Court of Appeal judge, Sir Henry Brooke and Chairman of the Judicial Appointments Commission, Lord Kakkar. (See pp 12-21.)
Meanwhile, as Westminster is gripped by allegations of sexual impropriety, Labour peer and barrister, Baroness Kennedy QC warned that young barristers are vulnerable to sexual harassment.
She told The Times: ‘At the Bar, young women and some young men are vulnerable because they are in a highly competitive world seeking training places and tenancies and briefs.
‘There are many people who might seek their favours to advance their career. Stories abound and chambers should have clear rules and be swift in ending the tenancies of people who abuse their power. But it is still too hard for women to speak out.’
Far-ranging month for the Chair of the Bar
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
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, examines the most recent data on alcohol misuse in the UK, and the implications for alcohol testing in family proceedings
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, explains how tailored financial planning can help barristers take control of their finances and plan with confidence
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
A £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs has been made to the leading UK charity tackling international parental child abduction and the movement of children across international borders
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
Heritage as an anchor and a compass, finding our common humanity and embracing the power of the outsider – Melina Antoniadis’s lessons learnt
Is the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office process fit for purpose? Women barristers’ experiences of bullying are not being reported or, if they are, they are not making it through the system, says Tana Adkin KC
Review by Daniel Barnett
Chair of the Bar reports back
