*/
Senior barristers have called for a review of family court advocacy over concerns that solicitor advocates have caused a drop in standards and “unjust outcomes”.
In a letter to Justice Minister Shailesh Vara, the chairs of the Family Law Bar Association and Bar Council warned that legal aid cuts have prompted insufficiently skilled solicitors to represent clients in court, rather than instructing better trained barristers.
Solicitors, they pointed out, require no advocacy training to appear in the county court, where the majority of children cases are conducted, or in the High Court.
Seeking an urgent review of standards, they warned: ‘The standard of representation being provided in many cases is so poor that unjust outcomes have occurred.”
They added: “Serious damage to the public interest has been caused by this situation”.
Responding, the Law Society and family lawyers group Resolution said the move was regrettable. They accused the Bar of acting out of self-interest and suggested its concerns were based on its own falling market share rather than quality.
Senior barristers have called for a review of family court advocacy over concerns that solicitor advocates have caused a drop in standards and “unjust outcomes”.
In a letter to Justice Minister Shailesh Vara, the chairs of the Family Law Bar Association and Bar Council warned that legal aid cuts have prompted insufficiently skilled solicitors to represent clients in court, rather than instructing better trained barristers.
Solicitors, they pointed out, require no advocacy training to appear in the county court, where the majority of children cases are conducted, or in the High Court.
Seeking an urgent review of standards, they warned: ‘The standard of representation being provided in many cases is so poor that unjust outcomes have occurred.”
They added: “Serious damage to the public interest has been caused by this situation”.
Responding, the Law Society and family lawyers group Resolution said the move was regrettable. They accused the Bar of acting out of self-interest and suggested its concerns were based on its own falling market share rather than quality.
Chair of the Bar sets out a busy calendar for the rest of the year
Why Virtual Assistants Can Meet the Legal Profession’s Exacting Standards
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
AlphaBiolabs has announced its latest Giving Back donation to RAY Ceredigion, a grassroots West Wales charity that provides play, learning and community opportunities for families across Ceredigion County
Despite increased awareness, why are AI hallucinations continuing to infiltrate court cases at an alarming rate? Matthew Lee investigates
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
Come in with your eyes open, but don’t let fear cloud the prospect. A view from practice by John Dove
Anon Academic explains why he’s leaving the world of English literature for the Bar – after all, the two are not as far apart as they may first seem...
Review by Stephen Cragg KC
