Chair's Column

Examining the profession, how it adapts to survive; and the vital role of the Bar Council

In 2015, as Vice Chairman, I was lucky enough to meet practitioners across practice areas and from different parts of the jurisdiction. 

Reflecting upon the changing business practices of the profession, the resulting fragility of chambers’ structures, and the need for all chambers to ensure proper dissolution arrangements are in place

In recent months, a highly-regarded set of commercial and chancery chambers has felt it necessary to enter a voluntary dissolution. 

What can the UK legal system learn from the Chicago Bar Foundation’s innovative Justice Entrepreneurs Project?

The American Bar Association Conference (ABA) was held recently in Chicago. 

On the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta, a review of its literal and spiritual meaning, the undermining of this very meaning and the fight for the future of access to justice

I am writing today on the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta whose origins lie in the disastrous defeat of King John at the Battle of Bouvines, in Northern France. 

Following a successful visit to Brazil, a Bar delegation journeys to Kazakhstan; the importance of international missions; and how the decision to visit countries with poor human rights records is carefully weighed.

I am set to lead a substantial delegation of the Bar to Kazakhstan at the end of April.