There is an entire industry that has sprung up to advise those applying for Silk, but what they might not have told you is that doing pro bono work is a very good place to start. Laurent Sykes QC joins Jess Campbell in Pro Bono Watch this month to tell you how it works
Kim Hollis QC thought her first year as DPP for the British Virgin Islands would be an adventure, but Hurricanes Irma and Maria swept away not only her house, but the Islands’ prisons and entire criminal justice system
David Josse QC discusses Slobodan Praljak’s dramatic death
If a barrister experiences bullying from a judge are there remedies available? Who judges the judges and is there somewhere advocates can complain? Judith Trustman puts forward a case for reform
How we made flexible working work for us, by Esther Gamble
Best books, favourite films, top tracks and an essential: Counsel invites barristers to share their cultural influences. In this issue, we talk to Nigel Poole QC, Head of Chambers at Kings Chambers, who also blogs as Learned Friend
When is there time to do the actual job?
Sir Alex Allan, Chair of the QC Selection Panel, offers advice to prospective applicants and four successful candidates from the previous round discuss their lessons learned with Peter Purvis
Richard Hearnden argues that the recent controversy around social media disclosure failures in criminal cases can be solved by going back to basics
Power shift? Grania Langdon-Down investigates the changing nature of legal relations as competition, scale of litigation, legal aid cuts and growth of in-house advocates affect how cases are run
Birmingham
We are seeking a permanent, full-time Family & Childcare Team Secretary for our newly expanded team in our Birmingham office.
Update from the Chair of the Bar
By Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group
Modernising communication and collaboration at a leading Chancery set. A Zexi case study
How to build profile without compromising professional duties. By Naumaan Farooq, Co-Founder of Inked PR
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, examines the role of cut-off levels, and the wider range of factors that must be considered when interpreting results for family court proceedings
Endometriosis Awareness North, a charity raising awareness of endometriosis and supporting those affected across the North of England, has received a £500 boost from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
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
The case against judge-only justice and why efficiency is not enough. By Professor Leslie Thomas KC
Heritage as an anchor and a compass, finding our common humanity and embracing the power of the outsider Melina Antoniadis’s lessons learnt
Seeing the full picture Baljit Ubhey OBE outlines the CPS action plan to tackle violence against women and girls, offering insights directly relevant to courtroom practice
Lauren Fullerton examines the how, what and why of setting up a second chambers base