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The Bar Council was among surveillance campaigners who challenged MPs to boost safety and confidentiality measures in the controversial Investigatory Powers Bill.
Together with the Law Society and the National Union of Journalists it launched the ‘Speak in Safety’ campaign.
The groups warned that the Bill jeopardises a client’s right to speak to their lawyer in confidence and threatens the anonymity of journalists’ sources and whistleblowers. They called on parliamentarians to amend the Bill dubbed the ‘snoopers’ charter’.
The Bar Council also encouraged its members to write to their MPs to alert them to their concerns over the Bill.
Bar Chairman Chantal-Aimée Doerries QC said: ‘We know that government agencies have in the past improperly eavesdropped on communications between litigants and their legal advisers.
‘Clients who cannot be sure that conversations with their legal representative are held in confidence often fail to communicate information which is vital to their case, thus compromising their right to a fair hearing.’
She said: ‘One of the essential rights in a democracy is that of a citizen to consult with a lawyer.’
And added: ‘Legal professional privilege is not the right of lawyers; privilege is the right of the client. Failure to protect that privilege amounts to a significant derogation of a fundamental constitutional right which is part of the foundation of the rule of law.’
The Bar Council was among surveillance campaigners who challenged MPs to boost safety and confidentiality measures in the controversial Investigatory Powers Bill.
Together with the Law Society and the National Union of Journalists it launched the ‘Speak in Safety’ campaign.
The groups warned that the Bill jeopardises a client’s right to speak to their lawyer in confidence and threatens the anonymity of journalists’ sources and whistleblowers. They called on parliamentarians to amend the Bill dubbed the ‘snoopers’ charter’.
The Bar Council also encouraged its members to write to their MPs to alert them to their concerns over the Bill.
Bar Chairman Chantal-Aimée Doerries QC said: ‘We know that government agencies have in the past improperly eavesdropped on communications between litigants and their legal advisers.
‘Clients who cannot be sure that conversations with their legal representative are held in confidence often fail to communicate information which is vital to their case, thus compromising their right to a fair hearing.’
She said: ‘One of the essential rights in a democracy is that of a citizen to consult with a lawyer.’
And added: ‘Legal professional privilege is not the right of lawyers; privilege is the right of the client. Failure to protect that privilege amounts to a significant derogation of a fundamental constitutional right which is part of the foundation of the rule of law.’
Far-ranging month for the Chair of the Bar
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, examines the most recent data on alcohol misuse in the UK, and the implications for alcohol testing in family proceedings
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, explains how tailored financial planning can help barristers take control of their finances and plan with confidence
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
In this wide-ranging interview, Professor Jo Delahunty KC, Family Law KC of the Year, talks to Anthony Inglese CB about the values that shaped her, the moment she found her vocation and, in an intensely personal call to arms, why time is running out for the legal aid Bar
Is the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office process fit for purpose? Women barristers’ experiences of bullying are not being reported or, if they are, they are not making it through the system, says Tana Adkin KC
Thomas Roe KC and Andrew O’Kola respond to an article by Dr Leonardo Raznovich (Counsel , October 2025) – ‘Privy Council colonialism? Piercing the constitutional veil’
Chair of the Bar reports back
The client’s best interests could be well-served by sharing the advocacy with junior counsel more often than you might think – Naomi Cunningham and Charlotte Eves explore some less orthodox ways to divide the speaking role
