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Adrian Eissa and Ruth Barber
ISBN: 978 1 84766 707 6. September 2011
Publisher: Bloomsbury Professional. Price: £75
Even barristers of the very near future will look back with astonishment that their predecessors were still, in the 21st century, laden with kilos of textbooks as they set off for court in the morning. Any exceptionally diligent criminal practitioner embarking for a confiscation hearing faces the Herculean prospect of dragging Archbold 2012 with supplement and Mitchell, Taylor and Talbot on Confiscation and Proceeds of Crime behind them. Punishment not just for the muscles but also for the bank balance with RRPs of £455 and £342 respectively.
Of course the advent of e-Archbold is upon us but until the judiciary can be persuaded to follow suit and overcome their atavistic need to have a blunt object to hand so that in extremis they can literally throw the book at vexatious advocates, the prudent barrister will continue to have wood pulp and print by his side.
Justification for these eye watering prices will become increasingly untenable when the publishers’ printing costs are reduced effectively to zero. Until that day arrives a gap in the market exists and it is that gap which Bloomsbury Professional has sought to exploit with the publication of this book RRP £75.
Nobody, least of all the authors, would suggest that this is a title that aspires to go to toe to toe with Mitchell, Taylor and Talbot. Ostensibly, in fact, the target market for the book is not the seasoned Bar at all but instead caseworkers, legal executives and relative new comers to confiscation law. It is a slim volume and the bulk of the book is comprised of the appendices the lengthiest of which is the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
As a primer in confiscation law there is no doubt that this book serves a purpose and in a straightforward confiscation hearing it would serve as a relatively cheap supplement to Archbold. However printing off the Act itself would be even cheaper and in a case of any real complexity this book may not yield the necessary in depth case analysis. As ever, you pays your money and you takes your choice.
Max Hardy, 9 Bedford Row
Of course the advent of e-Archbold is upon us but until the judiciary can be persuaded to follow suit and overcome their atavistic need to have a blunt object to hand so that in extremis they can literally throw the book at vexatious advocates, the prudent barrister will continue to have wood pulp and print by his side.
Justification for these eye watering prices will become increasingly untenable when the publishers’ printing costs are reduced effectively to zero. Until that day arrives a gap in the market exists and it is that gap which Bloomsbury Professional has sought to exploit with the publication of this book RRP £75.
Nobody, least of all the authors, would suggest that this is a title that aspires to go to toe to toe with Mitchell, Taylor and Talbot. Ostensibly, in fact, the target market for the book is not the seasoned Bar at all but instead caseworkers, legal executives and relative new comers to confiscation law. It is a slim volume and the bulk of the book is comprised of the appendices the lengthiest of which is the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
As a primer in confiscation law there is no doubt that this book serves a purpose and in a straightforward confiscation hearing it would serve as a relatively cheap supplement to Archbold. However printing off the Act itself would be even cheaper and in a case of any real complexity this book may not yield the necessary in depth case analysis. As ever, you pays your money and you takes your choice.
Max Hardy, 9 Bedford Row
Adrian Eissa and Ruth Barber
ISBN: 978 1 84766 707 6. September 2011
Publisher: Bloomsbury Professional. Price: £75
Even barristers of the very near future will look back with astonishment that their predecessors were still, in the 21st century, laden with kilos of textbooks as they set off for court in the morning. Any exceptionally diligent criminal practitioner embarking for a confiscation hearing faces the Herculean prospect of dragging Archbold 2012 with supplement and Mitchell, Taylor and Talbot on Confiscation and Proceeds of Crime behind them. Punishment not just for the muscles but also for the bank balance with RRPs of £455 and £342 respectively.
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
