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The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has appointed three new Board members, following an open recruitment process.
Richard Thompson OBE, the new lay member, will take up the position on the Board immediately. Richard will continue in his existing role as Chief Constable with the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC). Richard was the first non police officer to be appointed as Chief Constable since 1946, and prior to joining the Police, he served for eighteen years in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, involving overseas postings in Stockholm, Geneva, Pristina and Baghdad. The two other Board appointments are barrister members – Sam Stein QC and Patricia Robertson QC – who will start in January. Sam Stein QC is a criminal practitioner at Dyers Chambers, and was called to the Bar in 1988. Sam brings to the Board a long standing interest and experience in quality assurance and pupillage issues. He is a member of the BSB Quality Assurance Committee, is chair of the Pupillage Subcommittee of the Education and Training Committee, and chair of the Publicly Funded Barristers Advisory Group.
Patricia Robertson QC practises at Fountain Court Chambers, with a broad commercial and civil practice, and was called to the Bar in 1988. She has extensive experience in financial services and regulatory matters, currently being a member of the Alternative Business Structures (ABS) working group of the BSB and was a speaker at the 2009 BSB Clementi debate. Patricia is also involved in equality and diversity issues, has a particular interest in advocacy training, and is co-author of the Guide to the Legal Services Act (Butterworths publication). Commenting on the new appointments, Ruth Deech, BSB Chair said: “I am delighted to welcome Richard, Sam and Patricia to the Board. The varied knowledge and experience they bring means that they will make a valuable contribution to the work of the Board as we strive to meet the challenges of our role as regulator”.
Patricia Robertson QC practises at Fountain Court Chambers, with a broad commercial and civil practice, and was called to the Bar in 1988. She has extensive experience in financial services and regulatory matters, currently being a member of the Alternative Business Structures (ABS) working group of the BSB and was a speaker at the 2009 BSB Clementi debate. Patricia is also involved in equality and diversity issues, has a particular interest in advocacy training, and is co-author of the Guide to the Legal Services Act (Butterworths publication). Commenting on the new appointments, Ruth Deech, BSB Chair said: “I am delighted to welcome Richard, Sam and Patricia to the Board. The varied knowledge and experience they bring means that they will make a valuable contribution to the work of the Board as we strive to meet the challenges of our role as regulator”.
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has appointed three new Board members, following an open recruitment process.
Richard Thompson OBE, the new lay member, will take up the position on the Board immediately. Richard will continue in his existing role as Chief Constable with the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC). Richard was the first non police officer to be appointed as Chief Constable since 1946, and prior to joining the Police, he served for eighteen years in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, involving overseas postings in Stockholm, Geneva, Pristina and Baghdad. The two other Board appointments are barrister members – Sam Stein QC and Patricia Robertson QC – who will start in January. Sam Stein QC is a criminal practitioner at Dyers Chambers, and was called to the Bar in 1988. Sam brings to the Board a long standing interest and experience in quality assurance and pupillage issues. He is a member of the BSB Quality Assurance Committee, is chair of the Pupillage Subcommittee of the Education and Training Committee, and chair of the Publicly Funded Barristers Advisory Group.
Update from the Chair of the Bar
By Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group
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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
