Michael Jones KC practised from chambers in South Wales before joining the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in 2009 as the first Senior Crown Advocate in Wales. In 2018 he was appointed Queen’s Counsel, the first ever such appointment from the CPS in Wales. He also remains, in silk, a pupil supervisor. He is a Middle Temple Bencher, a Middle Temple Advocacy Trainer and Student Sponsor, one of three National Advocacy Panel Assessors for the CPS and a member of the national CPS/Bar Diversity and Inclusive Panel. In 2018, he was in the final shortlist of three for the Bar Council’s ‘Employed Barrister of the Year’ Awards. He is a member of the Bar Council and past Chair of its Employed Barristers’ Committee, past Chair of the Employed Bar Society at Middle Temple, Member of the Bench Selection Advisory Committee of Middle Temple, Secretary of the Middle Temple Wales Circuit Society, Member of the Wales and Chester Circuit, a door tenant at 30, Park Place Chambers in Cardiff and Chairman of the Welsh Senedd/Parliamentary Rugby XV.
Mike Jones KC, the first Senior Crown advocate from Wales to take silk, talks about his career pathway, the ‘one Bar’ philosophy and what the future holds
The Chair of the Bar reports back
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, explains how global events can influence the performance of pensions and ISAs, and why taking a long-term approach to investing is often the most effective strategy
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, discusses what family law professionals need to know about hallucinogens, from the main hallucinogenic drugs encountered in family proceedings, to their effects and the testing options available
Harmony Christian Ministries is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
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
Developing a tech start-up demands a different definition of excellence to the Bar, says Saara Idelbi. The co-creator of Advocatr on entrepreneurship, AI advocacy training, and matching the thrill of a killer cross-examination
At the start of her term, Chair of the Bar 2026 Kirsty Brimelow KC set out a series of priorities for the year ahead. One of those priorities was children in the justice system
As the world becomes more digital, Barbara Vinagre Mota examines international research into the mental health consequences of judges’ exposure to graphic and immersive evidence, highlighting the importance of support systems
Reviewed by Daniel Barnett
James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain until 27 September Rothko in Florence at Palazzo Strozzi until 23 August Reviewed by Stephen Cragg KC
