In 2022, the Racial Bias and the Bench report found evidence of institutional racism in the justice system and fundamental flaws in the Judicial Diversity Strategy. Change is coming and all judges and lawyers can help revitalise the rule of law by implementing RBB’s 10 anti-racist recommendations, say Keir Monteith KC and Professor Leslie Thomas KC
Fake news, revenge porn, ‘black mirror’ – and now deepfakes are making it into quite low-level court cases. How can lawyers prepare, what duties of care might be imposed, and how might courts deal with the deepfake era? By Professor Lilian Edwards
Uncomfortable as it is, every barrister is invited to read this report and to reflect on how things need to change. The experiences and views shared confidentially by Black barristers are powerful and very challenging, write Krista Lee KC, Gary Pryce and Brie Stevens-Hoare KC
This month ASPIRE – as part of its mission to improve the visibility and advancement of Black lawyers – hosted a performance of Just an Ordinary Lawyer, a moving retrospective of the life of Tunji Sowande, with a Q&A and networking. Report by Earl Pinnock and Thomas Schofield
The future of robotics in surgery is likely to hinge on what it enables – does the legal system yet have the tools to protect patients? Conor Dufficy and Finn Stevenson investigate
This Summer 2022, 24 Black graduates will be offered internships by over 70 sets of chambers. Here, Dawid Konotey-Ahulu – the barrister turned investment banker, entrepreneur and co-founder of 10KBI – explains why the mission was so compelling for him
Putting forward a diverse legal team is no longer ‘preferred’ and the ‘right thing to do’ – it is fast becoming ‘essential’. How law firms and their clients are using spend to help drive change, by David Stone
This is our stand up moment: Barbara Mills QC and Simon Regis on the landmark report’s key findings and what the Bar must do to remove the systemic obstacles faced by many barristers from ethnic minority communities
Raggi Kotak and Laurie-Anne Power on the positive actions chambers can take to support a more racially inclusive environment
Racial disparity and racism can impact experiences in the courtroom; Abimbola Johnson has some constructive solutions on how we can effectively challenge it
London
As we continue to grow domestically and internationally, we are inviting King’s Counsel (Silk) to join our chambers.
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
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
Oliver Lewis spotlights an overlooked yet rapidly evolving area of law coercive and controlling behaviour within care contexts
Solicitor General Ellie Reeves KC MP discusses her decade as a trade union and employment law barrister, the demands of life as a Law Officer and the number one priority shaping her work. Interview by Anthony Inglese CB
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
At least not that way, says Richard Paige