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Kirsty Brimelow KC introduces the Criminal Bar Association’s new podcast series shining a light on criminal justice and the barristers at its beating heart
Criminal justice pulses all around us. It flows through society and binds us as we look to it for remedies in times of crisis.
Some cases grab public attention, whether through repulsion, empathy, horror, or fascination. There can be a compulsion not to look away as we try and understand the inexplicable. A recent example was Lucy Letby. She is the young woman with the nursery rhyme name, who started as a nurse to babies who were hanging onto life by a fragile touch. She ended her nursing story as Britain’s most prolific serial killer of children. She then refused to attend court to hear her sentence pronounced, inevitably a whole life tariff, and listen to the victim impact statements of the families of the murdered babies. The government quickly pronounced that it would give judges powers to force prisoners into court. I then was engaged in media interviews, alongside my colleagues, explaining the high risk of using force on prisoners. High risk physically to those around that person, as well as disruption to proceedings. Dangers were acutely and terribly highlighted in 2015 when a prisoner escort officer died after being attacked by a defendant at Blackfriars Crown Court in London. The court may long have been shuttered behind blank boarding, itself a victim to myopic court estate management, but its lessons should not sink into the dark emptiness.
When I became Chair of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) on 1 September 2022, I wanted to put barristers’ voices back at the centre of policy decision-making. We are the experts in criminal justice and process and, increasingly, we had been side-lined. We were being ignored in favour of lobbying groups. The CBA also was acutely aware of the drop in barristers practising criminal law, demoralised by the crumbling courts, long and invasive working hours and cuts to legal aid. We needed to retain our junior Bar for the future of the criminal justice system. How to do it? Fees was just part of the answer. Positive communication remains key.
Criminal Justice Matters became the name of our new podcast series. I interviewed all our guests, except in the first episode when I was interviewed by Laurie-Anne Power KC. In ‘Strike action’ I discuss the negotiations with the Ministry of Justice that ended criminal barristers’ indefinite action, opened with former Lord Chancellor Brandon Lewis MP within three days of his coming into office and in my first week as Chair. It is a shake-down of happenings in those early months. I also speak a little about my own uneven path to the Criminal Bar and why I stayed.
The second episode, ‘Young barristers at the Criminal Bar’, showcases the stories of the Chair of the CBA Young Bar Committee, Zayd Ahmed and junior barrister Jennifer Devans-Tamakloe. Both barristers are from ethnic minorities and Zayd practises from chambers in London, while Jennifer is a barrister in Manchester.
In the third episode, I interview Mary Prior KC, Vice-Chair of the CBA, who practises in the Midlands, about prosecuting sexual offences. We seek to bust a few myths along the way.
The final three episodes focus on the stars and trailblazers of the Criminal Bar: Jeremy Dein KC, Nina Grahame KC, Jaime Hamilton KC, Laurie-Anne Power KC and Courtenay Griffiths KC. We pick over some of the challenges as they pivoted to advise their younger selves. These later recordings are signposts to a rewarding professional life that continues to burn bright as the years gather.
All the stories are the story of the Criminal Bar. After all, criminal justice matters.
Kirsty Brimelow KC is Chair of the Bar for 2026. She has been a criminal, public law and international human rights barrister for some 30 years, practising from Doughty Street Chambers for over half that time. Kirsty was Chair of the Criminal Bar Association (2022-23) and Chair of the Bar Human Rights Committee (2012-18). She was appointed as a silk in 2011, Deputy High Court Judge in 2021, Recorder in 2022 and is a Bencher of Gray’s Inn.
Criminal justice pulses all around us. It flows through society and binds us as we look to it for remedies in times of crisis.
Some cases grab public attention, whether through repulsion, empathy, horror, or fascination. There can be a compulsion not to look away as we try and understand the inexplicable. A recent example was Lucy Letby. She is the young woman with the nursery rhyme name, who started as a nurse to babies who were hanging onto life by a fragile touch. She ended her nursing story as Britain’s most prolific serial killer of children. She then refused to attend court to hear her sentence pronounced, inevitably a whole life tariff, and listen to the victim impact statements of the families of the murdered babies. The government quickly pronounced that it would give judges powers to force prisoners into court. I then was engaged in media interviews, alongside my colleagues, explaining the high risk of using force on prisoners. High risk physically to those around that person, as well as disruption to proceedings. Dangers were acutely and terribly highlighted in 2015 when a prisoner escort officer died after being attacked by a defendant at Blackfriars Crown Court in London. The court may long have been shuttered behind blank boarding, itself a victim to myopic court estate management, but its lessons should not sink into the dark emptiness.
When I became Chair of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) on 1 September 2022, I wanted to put barristers’ voices back at the centre of policy decision-making. We are the experts in criminal justice and process and, increasingly, we had been side-lined. We were being ignored in favour of lobbying groups. The CBA also was acutely aware of the drop in barristers practising criminal law, demoralised by the crumbling courts, long and invasive working hours and cuts to legal aid. We needed to retain our junior Bar for the future of the criminal justice system. How to do it? Fees was just part of the answer. Positive communication remains key.
Criminal Justice Matters became the name of our new podcast series. I interviewed all our guests, except in the first episode when I was interviewed by Laurie-Anne Power KC. In ‘Strike action’ I discuss the negotiations with the Ministry of Justice that ended criminal barristers’ indefinite action, opened with former Lord Chancellor Brandon Lewis MP within three days of his coming into office and in my first week as Chair. It is a shake-down of happenings in those early months. I also speak a little about my own uneven path to the Criminal Bar and why I stayed.
The second episode, ‘Young barristers at the Criminal Bar’, showcases the stories of the Chair of the CBA Young Bar Committee, Zayd Ahmed and junior barrister Jennifer Devans-Tamakloe. Both barristers are from ethnic minorities and Zayd practises from chambers in London, while Jennifer is a barrister in Manchester.
In the third episode, I interview Mary Prior KC, Vice-Chair of the CBA, who practises in the Midlands, about prosecuting sexual offences. We seek to bust a few myths along the way.
The final three episodes focus on the stars and trailblazers of the Criminal Bar: Jeremy Dein KC, Nina Grahame KC, Jaime Hamilton KC, Laurie-Anne Power KC and Courtenay Griffiths KC. We pick over some of the challenges as they pivoted to advise their younger selves. These later recordings are signposts to a rewarding professional life that continues to burn bright as the years gather.
All the stories are the story of the Criminal Bar. After all, criminal justice matters.
Kirsty Brimelow KC introduces the Criminal Bar Association’s new podcast series shining a light on criminal justice and the barristers at its beating heart
Update from the Chair of the Bar
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
Save the Children UK is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
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
Born from a grievance, their research project grew into a book and is now challenging the status quo. Emma Price and Emma-Louise Fenelon reveal the key findings – and the critical next steps
Grok around and find out – or not? Mariya Peykova investigates the nudification scandal, what the law has to say about sexually explicit deepfakes, and whether stronger regulation is needed
Oliver Lewis spotlights an overlooked yet rapidly evolving area of law – coercive and controlling behaviour within care contexts
