Features

Child trafficking continues. Felicity Gerry reviews “Not My Life”, a film exposing this brutal world and hoping to bring about change. 

Not My Life is a brutal documentary about modern day slavery. It exposes the reality of human trafficking across continents, asks why such activities take place and what can be done. The international premiere took place at Curzon Mayfair on Thursday 20th October 2011 and the full documentary was shown on CNN International without ad breaks over the following weekend. Oscar-nominated director Robert Bilheimer hopes that the film can be a catalyst for change, putting the plight of the world’s youth in the forefront of the public consciousness. 

X is physically disabled. He had spent time campaigning for disabled rights. Last year, a jury convicted him of having seriously sexually assaulted others in the community far more profoundly disabled than himself. Elizabeth Smaller considers the issues raised by the trial
  

The witnesses and their disabilities 

The case of X involved three witnesses who fitted every criteria of vulnerable. All suffered with cerebral palsy, a condition which affects motor development and amongst other things creates severe difficulties of speech making giving evidence in the conventional way impossible. 

A delegation from the Beijing High People’s Court visited London in the summer to find out more about our courts and to experience two mock trials. David Altaras and Christopher Donnellan QC report.  

In late August/early September of this year, a delegation of twenty judges from the Beijing High People’s Court visited London. Their purpose was to discover how the English courts, both civil and criminal, deal with road traffic cases. Richard Wilson QC, having learned of their visit, organised fellow members of 36 Bedford Row to put on two mock trials, one a road traffic accident claim and the other a death by dangerous driving prosecution. There was an enthusiastic response, with members volunteering to write the scripts and to play the various roles of trial judge, counsel and witnesses. In all, twelve barristers gave up a day in court to act out the two trials. BPP University College generously gave us  use of a mock court room plus three other rooms, together with lunch and refreshments throughout the day. 

Colin Smith looks at the issues arising when using digital evidence in court

How often is it now that none of the evidence in a case is digital? That a case has no information from a computer, mobile phone, company server, laptop? Digital evidence is all around us, but why does it often evade the robust challenging it probably deserves?
Any information that has come from digital sources must be treated diligently if the evidence is to prove reliable and strong. This is well known to digital forensic examiners. Being one myself I became very used to being reminded of the principles of forensics early on, which has resulted in me religiously maintaining the forensic standard of my evidence. 

Job title : Barrister, 9-12 Bell Yard

9-12 Bell Yard is a leading criminal set, whose members also possess specialist knowledge in common law, administrative law, licensing and the regulatory sector. The set undertakes advocacy for City law firms, public prosecution authorities, major corporates, government departments and local authorities. Chambers is authorised to accept appropriate direct and international instructions

Fiona Jackson reports back from the anniversary dinner held at the House of Lords to celebrate twenty years of the Association of Women Barristers.  

On Tuesday 4th October in the Cholmondeley Room of the House of Lords, our former President, Baroness Hale, hosted a memorable Dinner to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Association of Women Barristers. Another former President, Lady Justice Arden, also joined with the Solicitor General, Lady Butler-Sloss, Baronesses Deech and Scotland, our current President, Mrs. Justice Cox, and members and other distinguished guests in toasting the success of the AWB in its many campaigns. 

Fiona Jackson reports back from the anniversary dinner held at the House of Lords to celebrate twenty years of the Association of Women Barristers.  

On Tuesday 4th October in the Cholmondeley Room of the House of Lords, our former President, Baroness Hale, hosted a memorable Dinner to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Association of Women Barristers. Another former President, Lady Justice Arden, also joined with the Solicitor General, Lady Butler-Sloss, Baronesses Deech and Scotland, our current President, Mrs. Justice Cox, and members and other distinguished guests in toasting the success of the AWB in its many campaigns. 

Lynne Townley and Samir Pasha consider the impact of recent legislative and policy initiatives aimed at discouraging the practice of forced marriage

Forced marriage is defined as “a marriage without the consent of one or both parties and where duress is a factor”. Under domestic legislation, a marriage entered into without the valid consent of either party can be rendered void. Forcing a person into marriage also incurs a violation of the provisions of numerous international instruments. 

2012/13 applications for practising certificates will have to meet new requirements, Oliver Delany explains  

The practising certificate application process is fundamentally changing. Simply paying the fee will no longer suffice. All barristers who require a practising certificate for 2012/13 will be required to follow a new process. 

William Byfield, Gutteridge Chambers : A sad acknowledgement that although the problem of late payment is not a new one, this time round the effects are more acute than ever

December 1, 2011: “A man who pays his bills on time is soon forgotten” - Oscar Wilde.

Chasing fees is a perennial problem. I remember a dinner party in the early nineties at the house of an old university friend, also at the Bar and now an eminent civil practitioner and fellow Head of Chambers. At the time we were both going through what might loosely be called a cash-flow crisis. After a wonderful dinner cooked by his most glamorous and exotic wife, talk turned to the irritations of life.