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The criminal justice system is ‘at breaking point’, the new chair of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) warned.
In her first ‘Monday Message’ email to CBA members, Angela Rafferty QC said: ‘We are heading into a post-Brexit world with a criminal justice system in crisis.’
She told members: ‘What we do is essential for the proper functioning of civil society’ but said the budget for criminal advocacy is ‘far too low and has been repeatedly cut to the bone’.
Rafferty said she was ‘well aware of the deep concerns’ about the proposed new Advocates Graduated Fee Scheme and said she would be meeting with heads of chambers and solicitors’ representatives to ensure ‘open, robust and transparent negotiations and a realistic debate whilst maintaining the honour and solidarity of our profession’.
On the pilots of the extended court sitting, launched in October, Rafferty said: ‘This initiative has been tried before and failed. As we keep repeating there is no good reason to try it again – it will have a disastrous effect on diversity and the working lives of all in the criminal justice system.’
Rafferty also pledged to tackle the problem of retaining and progressing women at the criminal Bar and to work to raise the prestige of youth justice work and those working in it.
The criminal justice system is ‘at breaking point’, the new chair of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) warned.
In her first ‘Monday Message’ email to CBA members, Angela Rafferty QC said: ‘We are heading into a post-Brexit world with a criminal justice system in crisis.’
She told members: ‘What we do is essential for the proper functioning of civil society’ but said the budget for criminal advocacy is ‘far too low and has been repeatedly cut to the bone’.
Rafferty said she was ‘well aware of the deep concerns’ about the proposed new Advocates Graduated Fee Scheme and said she would be meeting with heads of chambers and solicitors’ representatives to ensure ‘open, robust and transparent negotiations and a realistic debate whilst maintaining the honour and solidarity of our profession’.
On the pilots of the extended court sitting, launched in October, Rafferty said: ‘This initiative has been tried before and failed. As we keep repeating there is no good reason to try it again – it will have a disastrous effect on diversity and the working lives of all in the criminal justice system.’
Rafferty also pledged to tackle the problem of retaining and progressing women at the criminal Bar and to work to raise the prestige of youth justice work and those working in it.
Update from the Chair of the Bar
By David Green
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, examines the forensic science underpinning hair drug testing, its evidential scope and limitations, and why it remains the gold standard for evidencing patterns of drug use in family proceedings
Unlocking your aged debt to fund your tax in one easy step. By Philip N Bristow
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, discusses the upcoming changes to pensions and Inheritance Tax and the potential impact on your financial future
Save the Children UK is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
The Chief Legal Officer to the Metropolitan Police, barrister Brett Welch, tells Anthony Inglese CB about his mission and the work to turn the Met around
Barrister apprenticeships – shortly to provide the fourth pathway to the Bar – are an ideal opportunity to support local talent and ‘grow your own’, say Tim Coulson and Dr Jane Dennehy
Grok around and find out – or not? Mariya Peykova investigates the nudification scandal, what the law has to say about sexually explicit deepfakes, and whether stronger regulation is needed
Oliver Lewis spotlights an overlooked yet rapidly evolving area of law – coercive and controlling behaviour within care contexts
For one night only at Middle Temple Hall (Sunday 26 July 2026) – Abigail Bright introduces the famed annual fundraising theatrical event. This year, Martin Shaw and Jason Watkins perform John Mortimer’s The Dock Brief, a mixture of farce and pathos and all in support of the work of the Kalisher Trust in its 30th year
