*/
Profession
The cab rank rule has no place in the modern legal services market, according to research commissioned by the Legal Services Board (LSB).
Professors John Flood (University of Westminster) and Morton Hviid (University of East Anglia) were asked to carry out a review analysing the impact on the market of paragraphs 601-610 of the Bar Standards Board (BSB) code.
“While the Bar is captivated by the rule and has promoted it as a shibboleth, we have no evidence as to its efficacy nor that it is understood within the legal marketplace,” was the conclusion of The Cab Rank Rule: Its Meaning and Purpose in the New Legal Services Market. “By all means the Bar can espouse it as a laudable principle, but it should not pretend that the rule is significant,” it added.
Instead, the authors recommend a rule similar to that promulgated by the New York State Bar (Statement of Client Rights number 10): “You may not be refused representation on the basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or disability.”
The LSB has invited views on the report’s analysis. The Bar Council is preparing a response, and the BSB and senior judiciary are also expected to express a strong view.
Professors John Flood (University of Westminster) and Morton Hviid (University of East Anglia) were asked to carry out a review analysing the impact on the market of paragraphs 601-610 of the Bar Standards Board (BSB) code.
“While the Bar is captivated by the rule and has promoted it as a shibboleth, we have no evidence as to its efficacy nor that it is understood within the legal marketplace,” was the conclusion of The Cab Rank Rule: Its Meaning and Purpose in the New Legal Services Market. “By all means the Bar can espouse it as a laudable principle, but it should not pretend that the rule is significant,” it added.
Instead, the authors recommend a rule similar to that promulgated by the New York State Bar (Statement of Client Rights number 10): “You may not be refused representation on the basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or disability.”
The LSB has invited views on the report’s analysis. The Bar Council is preparing a response, and the BSB and senior judiciary are also expected to express a strong view.
Profession
The cab rank rule has no place in the modern legal services market, according to research commissioned by the Legal Services Board (LSB).
Update from the Chair of the Bar
By Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group
Modernising communication and collaboration at a leading Chancery set. A Zexi case study
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
