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Baroness Scotland, barrister at London’s Four Paper Buildings and former Attorney General under Gordon Brown, has become the first woman to be elected secretary general of the Commonwealth in its 66-year history. Patricia Scotland, 60, is also the first British citizen to hold the role. She became the first black woman to be made a Queen’s Counsel in 1991. Her election was announced at the leaders’ summit of 53 Commonwealth nations in Malta in November. She will take over the role from Kamalesh Sharma this year.
Baroness Scotland, barrister at London’s Four Paper Buildings and former Attorney General under Gordon Brown, has become the first woman to be elected secretary general of the Commonwealth in its 66-year history. Patricia Scotland, 60, is also the first British citizen to hold the role. She became the first black woman to be made a Queen’s Counsel in 1991. Her election was announced at the leaders’ summit of 53 Commonwealth nations in Malta in November. She will take over the role from Kamalesh Sharma this year.
Chair of the Bar reports back
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
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, outlines the drug and alcohol testing options available for family law professionals, and how a new, free guide can help identify the most appropriate testing method for each specific case
By Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, examines the latest ONS data on drug misuse and its implications for toxicology testing in family law cases
A career shaped by advocacy beyond her practice, and the realities of living with an invisible disability – Dr Natasha Shotunde, Black Barristers’ Network Co-Founder and its Chair for seven years, reflects on a decade at the Bar
The odds of success are as unforgiving as ever, but ambition clearly isn’t in short supply. David Wurtzel’s annual deep‑dive into the competition cohort shows who’s entering, who’s thriving and the trends that will define the next wave
Where to start and where to find help? Monisha Shah, Chair of the King’s Counsel Selection Panel, provides an overview of the silk selection process, debunking some myths along the way
Do chatbot providers owe a duty of care for negligent misstatements? Jasper Wong suggests that the principles applicable to humans should apply equally to machines
There is no typical day in the life as a Supreme Court judicial assistant, says Josephine Gillingwater, and that’s what makes the role so enjoyably diverse
