Features

The Treasury Solicitor’s Department dispels the myths surrounding appointment to the Attorney General’s Civil Panels.  

The Attorney General maintains (by means of an open advertisement and application process) four panels of junior counsel to undertake civil and EU work for all government departments. She has three London panels and a regional panel.  The panel system means that whether junior counsel are acting for the government in relation to an inquiry into deaths in Iraq, a judicial review against a planning decision, a claim for defective construction of a motorway, an injunction against a newspaper, or indeed any other aspect of contentious and non-contentious legal work for which counsel are needed, then the counsel selected will be members of one of the Attorney General’s Civil Panels. 

In the wake of the recent Court of Appeal interlocutory judgment giving the green light for the first trial on indictment by a judge alone, David Wolchover and Anthony Heaton-Armstrong propose some convenient and inexpensive jury tampering countermeasures 

The 2009 Conference promises to be accessible, and of interest, to all members of the Bar, says Fiona Jackson.  

On 7 November the 24th Annual Bar Conference will consider as its theme “Access to Justice — Justice for All?”. To answer the perennial question “Why should I go?”, key reasons this year include: 

• A programme including a broad range of workshops debating core issues affecting the whole profession and the justice system. Barristers practising in all areas will find sessions directly relevant to them 
• Prestigious and expert speakers considering Access to Justice issues at home and abroad 
• What better way to earn at least six CPD points and network with colleagues? There are also free and discounted places, online booking and free childcare facilities available 

How has the advocacy strategy deployed by the CPS been working in practice in the Crown Court? David Wurtzel investigates.  

In 2004 the new Director of Public Prosecutions, Sir Ken MacDonald, launched an advocacy strategy vision in which the Crown Prosecution Service (“CPS”) was to become “an organisation that routinely conducts its own high quality advocacy in all courts, efficiently and eff ectively”. In that first year, Crown advocates conducted 7,433 sessions; in 2008−09 it was 56,519 sessions including 8,401 trials. The aim was to achieve 25 per cent of the cost of advocacy-in-house by 2011; it is now 21.3 per cent. 

Name: Christine Kings

Position: Commercial Director

Chambers: Outer Temple Chambers

16 September 2009: “There are more things in heaven and earth, Henrietta, than are dreamt of in your philosophy”—Hamlet, Act I (adapted). 

What is it about the Bar? You only have to see someone, or even think about them, to find you are involved together in a case. No sooner had Henrietta Briar-Pitt launched her misguided exocet and Alexander Twist trimmed and tacked, at our chambers’ meeting, than I found we were all conjoined in litigation. It might not be a form of telepathic magnetism yet to be discovered by Stephen Hawkins nor proof that there is a creator, but it surely exists. 

The Australian Bar Association Conference examined how English law deals with human rights considerations, privacy issues and direct access, reports Justice Glenn Martin.  

Why did 150 Australian barristers and judges come to London in June to hear about the law of England and Wales? We, the Australian Bar Association (“ABA”), came precisely because the law is, to varying degrees, different in this jurisdiction. And because of the different ways in which the profession and the judiciary have dealt with problems which have also arisen in Australia. And because exposure to different ideas and attitudes challenges you to re-assess your own decisions and behaviour. 

The Australian Bar Association Conference examined how English law deals with human rights considerations, privacy issues and direct access, reports Justice Glenn Martin.  

Why did 150 Australian barristers and judges come to London in June to hear about the law of England and Wales? We, the Australian Bar Association (“ABA”), came precisely because the law is, to varying degrees, different in this jurisdiction. And because of the different ways in which the profession and the judiciary have dealt with problems which have also arisen in Australia. And because exposure to different ideas and attitudes challenges you to re-assess your own decisions and behaviour. 

James Ewins, the Field Office Director of IJM in Bangalore, explains how he is using his legal experience and skills gained at the family Bar to his advantage in freeing slaves in India.  

It may seem like a career at the family Bar advising upon and litigating big-money divorce cases has nothing in common with freeing slaves in South India. And I confess it was not any similarity in the subject matter that persuaded me to move to Bangalore with my wife and three children, to be Director of the International Justice Mission (“IJM”) field office there. But having been here for a few months, I have come to appreciate how my experience can be used to my advantage, and through me to the advantage of the millions of slaves in India today. 

How can BVC students maximise their chances of obtaining a pupillage? Yvonne Kramo believes a traineeship with the European Parliament will help her achieve her goal