Alistair is the Chairman-Elect of the Bar Council. He was Called to the Bar in 1983 and took Silk in 2000. Alistair practises from Leeds and is co-Head of Chambers at New Park Chambers. His pactice is now prncipally in crime although he used to do a broad spread of work including personal injury and administrative law. He is the former Leader of the North-Eastern Circuit and has sat as a Recorder in crime and civil since 1995.
As 2015 draws to a close, reflections on the past year as Chairman of the Bar
This is my last Chairman’s column for Counsel and I thought that I would set out a few thoughts and reflections which have occurred to me over the course of the past year.
In February 2015 the Global Law Summit to celebrate 800 years since Magna Carta takes place in London.
Chairman-Elect of the Bar Council Alistair MacDonald QC explains.
The age of criminal responsibility, extreme weather and conflict resolution – plus, new protocol for reporting bullying at 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
Can reflective practice – a staple in other professions – meaningfully support the Bar? Emma Cross reports back from last year’s pilot
Does your constitution comply? The Harman Report provides impetus to update yours – and the sooner the better. Scott Leonard explains how
A decade of reviews and research has disrupted accepted thinking in the search for causality. Suicides following abuse have overtaken domestic homicides. Is the law keeping up? Professor Susan Edwards KC (Hon) examines recent cases and the obstacles to successful prosecution
Why every major sporting event needs an anti-corruption policy. By Louis Weston
At least not that way, says Richard Paige
