Features

asks Catherine Heard, Head of Policy at Fair Trials International

Sir Scott Baker’s year-long review of the UK’s extradition arrangements reported on 18th October. The press coverage of its findings focused on the difficult case of Gary McKinnon and on the report’s clean bill of health for the UK-US extradition treaty - findings that understandably disappointed campaigners wanting a renegotiation of our extradition treaty with the United States.  

Asma Nizami looks at the founding of the Free Representation Unit, the UK’s largest single provider of free advocacy.  

Pro bono services are now an established part of the legal profession. The first organised attempt to deliver pro bono legal services from within the legal profession came in 1972 with the founding of the Free Representation Unit (‘FRU’). Then thought to be ‘untraditional and a bit radical’, it is now the largest single provider of free advocacy in the UK, and it will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2012. 

Shape the future or become the past 

The Chairman of the Bar, Peter Lodder QC, told Bar Conference delegates that they needed to shape the future or risk becoming the past in a lively opening plenary session.

The Chair of the 26th Annual Bar Conference, Taryn Lee, kicked off proceedings (for the second year at London’s Hilton Metropole Hotel), by introducing the day’s theme - ‘Shaping the future: a modern Bar for a modern market’. She encouraged the record 650 plus in attendance to focus on the strengths of the profession as they consider developing their practices. She outlined the format for the day, including encouraging modern-minded technophiles to tweet throughout the conference, which proved particularly popular. It also meant those not attending could keep track of what was going on, whether in plenary sessions or in workshops. Barristers, journalists, sponsors, and even humble PR professionals were getting in on the act. The Conference Chair even made time for a tweet or two. 

Counsel’s David Wurtzel interviewed Chair of the BSB, Baroness Deech, and Vice Chair, Sir Geoffrey Nice QC soon after their appointment. Three years into the posts, he interviews them again …  

Meeting with Baroness Deech, Chair of the Bar Standards Board, and Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, Vice Chair, was an opportunity to take stock as they reached the way point of three years in post. I had interviewed each of them early in 2009. The Bar had just discovered that it had a BSB Chair who understood how to talk to barristers - indeed she still gives a report at every Bar Council meeting. Back in 2009, Baroness Deech had said, “the Bar is going through hard times, many sections are worried about legal aid”. That much has not changed... 

Job title
Silk, Serle Court

Serle Court offers expertise across a broad range of chancery and commercial disciplines. It covers the whole range of ‘business’ law, from offshore litigation about the world’s largest companies to domestic advice on probate matters, servicing a similarly disparate lay and professional client base at home and abroad.

What does the Bar Council’s Brussels Office do for the Bar? Evanna Fruithof looks at the current priorities, including the proposed European Sales Law.  

It is 12 years since the Bar Council Brussels Office began operations, with me at its helm. September 1999 also saw the first European Council conclusions on Justice and Home Affairs – heralding an ever-expanding EU remit which accounts for a significant portion of the work of the Brussels Office today. 

The first of a series of lectures in Westminster Abbey to celebrate 400 years of the King James Bible was given by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge.  

Counsel’s editor, Sally McCleery reports 

Dominic Regan and Sean Jones recommend wines for the festive season.  

At Christmas, even those who don’t drink, do. Here are our recommended buys for the season ahead and there is something for everyone. We anticipate a repeat this year of the internecine warfare between the big supermarkets. Keep your eyes open for buy 6 and get a 25% discount, something that all the big chains did last year. Majestic Wine now only insists that you buy a minimum of 6 bottles and their staff are very well informed. 

Dominic Regan and Sean Jones recommend wines for the festive season.  

At Christmas, even those who don’t drink, do. Here are our recommended buys for the season ahead and there is something for everyone. We anticipate a repeat this year of the internecine warfare between the big supermarkets. Keep your eyes open for buy 6 and get a 25% discount, something that all the big chains did last year. Majestic Wine now only insists that you buy a minimum of 6 bottles and their staff are very well informed. 

November 11, 2011 @ 11:02
“The best weapon against an enemy is another enemy.” ~Friedrich Nietzsche.

I can record truthfully that I never like staring at defendants in court. I remember a perfectly lovely character at the Bar, glorying in the name of Marmaduke Rapp-Pitney, who was incredibly short sighted and wore a rather terrifying pair of spectacles, which contained glass so thick and spiralled that it almost hid his eyes. When a defendant was brought up, Marmie would turn round and simply stare at the poor alleged miscreant. All, except the most brazen, flinched. Some changed their plea.