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A Bar Council snapshot survey of chambers around England and Wales has revealed that the proposed cuts to criminal legal aid fees
would force many barristers to leave publicly funded criminal work while several chambers said they would be unable to offer pupillages
and one chambers feared closure. The proposed cuts are contained in the Ministry of Justice Consultation Paper, “Legal Aid: Funding
Reforms”. The consultation period closed on 12 November and the Bar Council, the Criminal Bar Association, young barristers and
regional Circuits have opposed the cuts, claiming they could drive barristers away from publicly funded criminal defence work, and create a potential risk of miscarriage of justice. Criminal Bar Association Chairman, Paul Mendelle QC said: “The cuts proposed in this paper are an unjustified and unprincipled attack on criminal legal aid. The government has gone back on the agreement made a mere two years ago following the Carter review.”
A Bar Council snapshot survey of chambers around England and Wales has revealed that the proposed cuts to criminal legal aid fees
would force many barristers to leave publicly funded criminal work while several chambers said they would be unable to offer pupillages
and one chambers feared closure. The proposed cuts are contained in the Ministry of Justice Consultation Paper, “Legal Aid: Funding
Reforms”. The consultation period closed on 12 November and the Bar Council, the Criminal Bar Association, young barristers and
regional Circuits have opposed the cuts, claiming they could drive barristers away from publicly funded criminal defence work, and create a potential risk of miscarriage of justice. Criminal Bar Association Chairman, Paul Mendelle QC said: “The cuts proposed in this paper are an unjustified and unprincipled attack on criminal legal aid. The government has gone back on the agreement made a mere two years ago following the Carter review.”
Update from the Chair of the Bar
Harmony Christian Ministries is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
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
Reviewed by Daniel Barnett
James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain until 27 September Rothko in Florence at Palazzo Strozzi until 23 August Reviewed by Stephen Cragg KC
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
Oliver Lewis spotlights an overlooked yet rapidly evolving area of law – coercive and controlling behaviour within care contexts
