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Following the government’s reshuffle, I was pleased to meet with the new Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice David Lammy MP. We had a positive meeting and discussed everything from the recommendations in the Leveson report to the value of legal services and the government’s growth agenda. The Bar Council has worked with the Lord Chancellor in the past and we look forward to working with him again. The justice system requires urgent focused attention and support.
The Law Society has recently published a report about the terrible state of the court infrastructure and its impact. Court buildings across England and Wales have got asbestos and mould, inadequate air conditioning and dilapidated toilets, rotting seagulls and cells that regularly flood with excrement. The State of the Courts report brings into sharp focus the dire need for additional funding and investment. The government should not allow our courts to continue to deteriorate further.
Another report has found that children and families are being let down. Improving Family Court Services for Children, published by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) following a Parliamentary inquiry, contains six urgent recommendations for reducing the unacceptable time it takes to reach resolution for children and suggests how to tackle inefficient processes. There can be no doubt that the problems are due to chronic underfunding and the repair and nurture back to health will only be resolved with proper long-term funding.
The family justice system has been failing vulnerable children. Those failures are inimical to the welfare of the children the system seeks to protect. PAC’s recommendations provide a roadmap for change, but they will not deliver the changes needed without comprehensive investment.
The Opening of the Legal Year is a unique and special occasion with a service in Westminster Abbey and procession to Westminster Hall. Lawyers from all over the world convene in London to honour the pivotal role that the judiciary and lawyers play in safeguarding the rule of law.
Along with the Law Society we host an annual Bar and law societies’ leaders’ discussion. This year we focused on the threats faced by the global legal profession and the urgent need to bolster coordination and support. We were able to discuss how to utilise the new Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer and the long-standing UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers.
There should be no impunity for governments or non-state actors who target our profession. There are distinctive patterns of intimidation and targeting that show we have a collective, global problem in which the profession is facing an increasingly hostile environment.
I am delighted to be taking part in an ‘in conversation’ event with the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr on Tuesday 28 October. We have agreed to come together to explore some of the big issues currently facing the justice system, the Bar and the Bench. I hope you will be able to join us on the night at Inner Temple. (Book here.)
I am pleased to announce that I will be hosting an event in London focused on wellbeing at the Bar. The event will take place on Thursday 13 November from 6-8.30pm. I want to be able to reflect on the collective progress we have made to date on supporting barristers to build healthier, more sustainable working practices and I want to set out the next steps for this important project.
The evening will also include a practical workshop delivered by two leading wellbeing experts. They will share helpful tools, insights and techniques to enhance resilience, improve work-life balance and help you to embed positive habits that will support the Bar’s long-term collective professional wellbeing. (Book here.)
At the Bar Council meeting in September, members unanimously accepted the 36 recommendations of Baroness Harman’s report on bullying, harassment and sexual harassment at the Bar. Following its launch, the report has been widely welcomed, and the Inns have announced the establishment of a joint working group to consider the recommendations. I would like to thank everyone who participated in the review, especially the barristers, Circuits, Inns and specialist Bar associations that have all embraced the challenge we have of changing the culture for the better at the Bar. There is still much work to do.
Barbara Mills KC is the 2025 Chair of the Bar. She is a specialist family practitioner at 4PB and former Co-Chair of the Bar Council’s Race Working Group.
Following the government’s reshuffle, I was pleased to meet with the new Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice David Lammy MP. We had a positive meeting and discussed everything from the recommendations in the Leveson report to the value of legal services and the government’s growth agenda. The Bar Council has worked with the Lord Chancellor in the past and we look forward to working with him again. The justice system requires urgent focused attention and support.
The Law Society has recently published a report about the terrible state of the court infrastructure and its impact. Court buildings across England and Wales have got asbestos and mould, inadequate air conditioning and dilapidated toilets, rotting seagulls and cells that regularly flood with excrement. The State of the Courts report brings into sharp focus the dire need for additional funding and investment. The government should not allow our courts to continue to deteriorate further.
Another report has found that children and families are being let down. Improving Family Court Services for Children, published by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) following a Parliamentary inquiry, contains six urgent recommendations for reducing the unacceptable time it takes to reach resolution for children and suggests how to tackle inefficient processes. There can be no doubt that the problems are due to chronic underfunding and the repair and nurture back to health will only be resolved with proper long-term funding.
The family justice system has been failing vulnerable children. Those failures are inimical to the welfare of the children the system seeks to protect. PAC’s recommendations provide a roadmap for change, but they will not deliver the changes needed without comprehensive investment.
The Opening of the Legal Year is a unique and special occasion with a service in Westminster Abbey and procession to Westminster Hall. Lawyers from all over the world convene in London to honour the pivotal role that the judiciary and lawyers play in safeguarding the rule of law.
Along with the Law Society we host an annual Bar and law societies’ leaders’ discussion. This year we focused on the threats faced by the global legal profession and the urgent need to bolster coordination and support. We were able to discuss how to utilise the new Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer and the long-standing UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers.
There should be no impunity for governments or non-state actors who target our profession. There are distinctive patterns of intimidation and targeting that show we have a collective, global problem in which the profession is facing an increasingly hostile environment.
I am delighted to be taking part in an ‘in conversation’ event with the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr on Tuesday 28 October. We have agreed to come together to explore some of the big issues currently facing the justice system, the Bar and the Bench. I hope you will be able to join us on the night at Inner Temple. (Book here.)
I am pleased to announce that I will be hosting an event in London focused on wellbeing at the Bar. The event will take place on Thursday 13 November from 6-8.30pm. I want to be able to reflect on the collective progress we have made to date on supporting barristers to build healthier, more sustainable working practices and I want to set out the next steps for this important project.
The evening will also include a practical workshop delivered by two leading wellbeing experts. They will share helpful tools, insights and techniques to enhance resilience, improve work-life balance and help you to embed positive habits that will support the Bar’s long-term collective professional wellbeing. (Book here.)
At the Bar Council meeting in September, members unanimously accepted the 36 recommendations of Baroness Harman’s report on bullying, harassment and sexual harassment at the Bar. Following its launch, the report has been widely welcomed, and the Inns have announced the establishment of a joint working group to consider the recommendations. I would like to thank everyone who participated in the review, especially the barristers, Circuits, Inns and specialist Bar associations that have all embraced the challenge we have of changing the culture for the better at the Bar. There is still much work to do.
Justice system requires urgent attention and next steps on the Harman Review
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By Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
Examined by Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
Time is precious for barristers. Every moment spent chasing paperwork, organising diaries, or managing admin is time taken away from what matters most: preparation, advocacy and your clients. That’s where Eden Assistants step in
Despite increased awareness, why are AI hallucinations continuing to infiltrate court cases at an alarming rate? Matthew Lee investigates
Many disabled barristers face entrenched obstacles to KC appointment – both procedural and systemic, writes Diego F Soto-Miranda
The proscribing of Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act is an assault on the English language and on civil liberties, argues Paul Harris SC, founder of the Bar Human Rights Committee
For over three decades, the Bar Mock Trial Competition has boosted the skills, knowledge and confidence of tens of thousands of state school students – as sixth-form teacher Conor Duffy and Young Citizens’ Akasa Pradhan report
Suzie Miller’s latest play puts the legal system centre stage once more. Will it galvanise change? asks Rehna Azim
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