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After a break last year, Bar Conference is back with a new format and packed agenda. Join colleagues in person on Saturday 8 June in London, with welcome drinks on the Friday evening
Bar Conference is a unique event in the Bar’s calendar that you will not want to miss. In a likely general election year, the event will debate the big issues facing the justice sector and hear from those who will shape our future.
Chair of the Bar, Sam Townend KC, says: ‘Bar Conference offers something for everyone. It’s a chance for the whole Bar to come together to grapple with the biggest challenges facing the justice sector. In a general election year it’s more important than ever that barristers have the chance to hear from those who have the power to shape the justice system – and that they get to hear views from the Bar.’ The three headline speakers for the event are the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, the Lord Chancellor Rt Hon Alex Chalk KC MP, and Shadow Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood MP.
All three speakers will consider ‘what next for justice’ in England and Wales and take part in a Q&A discussion chaired by Sam Townend KC (Lord Chancellor session), Lord Macdonald KC (Shadow LC session), and Amrit Kaur Dhanoa (LCJ session).
Amrit Kaur Dhanoa, Chair of the Young Barristers’ Committee, says: ‘Bar Conference brings the profession together which can be hugely rewarding for those starting out in their careers at the Bar. It’s an invaluable opportunity to meet new people, exchange ideas, and engage in discussions over a new policy or practice area. Working at the Bar can be intense and the Bar Conference offers a welcoming environment for learning in a relaxed and enjoyable setting.’
The international panel debate will discuss the effectiveness of international courts and consider what the future holds. The panel, chaired by Baroness Kennedy KC, will include ICC Judge Joanna Korner CMG KC, Lord Neuberger, and the journalist Chris Stephen.
With the rapid growth of ChatGPT and other generative AI, the panel debate on technology will ask what place artificial intelligence could – and should – have in the justice sector. The debate, chaired by David O’Mahony (7BR), will hear from speakers including Sir Robert Buckland KC MP and Shobana Iyer (Swan Chambers).
In the wake of the Post Office scandal, the Bar Council has joined calls for private prosecutions to be reformed. But how? The debate, chaired by Adrian Darbishire KC (QEB Hollis Whiteman), will hear from Ari Alibhai (QEB Hollis Whiteman), Flora Page (23ES) and Polly Sprenger (Addleshaw Goddard).
The programme also includes practical sessions on earnings and work allocation, futureproofing practice through ADR and navigating ethical dilemmas at the Bar (with a particular focus on the employed Bar). Dr Paul Redmond, University of Liverpool, will deliver a thought-provoking session on navigating intergenerational differences between the four generations currently working at the Bar: Baby boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Gen Z. The conference will also be hosting the Lifetime Achievement in Pro Bono, the Sydney Elland Goldsmith Award, presented by the Lord Chancellor.
Full price tickets are £150 (+VAT) and 20% discounts are available for Bar Representation Fee subscribers, barristers with a primary practising address outside the South Eastern Circuit and barristers in income band 1. The discounts can be combined up to a maximum of 50% off.
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Bar Conference is a unique event in the Bar’s calendar that you will not want to miss. In a likely general election year, the event will debate the big issues facing the justice sector and hear from those who will shape our future.
Chair of the Bar, Sam Townend KC, says: ‘Bar Conference offers something for everyone. It’s a chance for the whole Bar to come together to grapple with the biggest challenges facing the justice sector. In a general election year it’s more important than ever that barristers have the chance to hear from those who have the power to shape the justice system – and that they get to hear views from the Bar.’ The three headline speakers for the event are the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, the Lord Chancellor Rt Hon Alex Chalk KC MP, and Shadow Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood MP.
All three speakers will consider ‘what next for justice’ in England and Wales and take part in a Q&A discussion chaired by Sam Townend KC (Lord Chancellor session), Lord Macdonald KC (Shadow LC session), and Amrit Kaur Dhanoa (LCJ session).
Amrit Kaur Dhanoa, Chair of the Young Barristers’ Committee, says: ‘Bar Conference brings the profession together which can be hugely rewarding for those starting out in their careers at the Bar. It’s an invaluable opportunity to meet new people, exchange ideas, and engage in discussions over a new policy or practice area. Working at the Bar can be intense and the Bar Conference offers a welcoming environment for learning in a relaxed and enjoyable setting.’
The international panel debate will discuss the effectiveness of international courts and consider what the future holds. The panel, chaired by Baroness Kennedy KC, will include ICC Judge Joanna Korner CMG KC, Lord Neuberger, and the journalist Chris Stephen.
With the rapid growth of ChatGPT and other generative AI, the panel debate on technology will ask what place artificial intelligence could – and should – have in the justice sector. The debate, chaired by David O’Mahony (7BR), will hear from speakers including Sir Robert Buckland KC MP and Shobana Iyer (Swan Chambers).
In the wake of the Post Office scandal, the Bar Council has joined calls for private prosecutions to be reformed. But how? The debate, chaired by Adrian Darbishire KC (QEB Hollis Whiteman), will hear from Ari Alibhai (QEB Hollis Whiteman), Flora Page (23ES) and Polly Sprenger (Addleshaw Goddard).
The programme also includes practical sessions on earnings and work allocation, futureproofing practice through ADR and navigating ethical dilemmas at the Bar (with a particular focus on the employed Bar). Dr Paul Redmond, University of Liverpool, will deliver a thought-provoking session on navigating intergenerational differences between the four generations currently working at the Bar: Baby boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Gen Z. The conference will also be hosting the Lifetime Achievement in Pro Bono, the Sydney Elland Goldsmith Award, presented by the Lord Chancellor.
Full price tickets are £150 (+VAT) and 20% discounts are available for Bar Representation Fee subscribers, barristers with a primary practising address outside the South Eastern Circuit and barristers in income band 1. The discounts can be combined up to a maximum of 50% off.
After a break last year, Bar Conference is back with a new format and packed agenda. Join colleagues in person on Saturday 8 June in London, with welcome drinks on the Friday evening
The Bar Council will press for investment in justice at party conferences, the Chancellor’s Budget and Spending Review
Equip yourself for your new career at the Bar
Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth explores some key steps to take when starting out as a barrister in order to secure your financial future
Millicent Wild of 5 Essex Chambers describes her pupillage experience
Drug, alcohol and DNA testing laboratory AlphaBiolabs has made a £500 donation to Juno Women’s Aid in Nottingham as part of its Giving Back campaign
Casedo explains how to hit the ground running on your next case with a four-step plan to transform the way you work
If you are in/about to start pupillage, you will soon be facing the pupillage stage assessment in professional ethics. Jane Hutton and Patrick Ryan outline exam format and tactics
In a two-part opinion series, James Onalaja considers the International Criminal Court Prosecutor’s requests for arrest warrants in the controversial Israel-Palestine situation
To mark the fifth anniversary of the Bar Standards Board’s Race Equality Taskforce, Dee Sekar reflects on key milestones, the role of regulation in race equality, and calls for views on the upcoming equality rules consultation
How to start a podcast? Former High Court judge Sir Nicholas Mostyn explains how he joined forces with Lord Falconer and Baroness Helena Kennedy KC to develop and present their weekly legal podcast
Daniel Barnett serves up a host of summer shows
