After the feast, the reckoning
Grilling Richard Atkins QC on his fears and aspirations for the year ahead, The Secret Barrister finds a crusader chair with an ambitious and overarching aim
New terms of engagement: the first Dean of Education at Inner Temple, whose research on juries, judges and courts continues to break ground, turns her empirical eye towards a fresh vision of lifelong learning for the Bar
As 2018 draws to a close, Mark Hatcher reflects on Brexit’s heavy toll, a tumultuous year at Westminster and a glimmer of hope for the criminal justice system
Access, development and diversification
Sign up, nail those competencies and rise to the challenge: John Kimbell QC and Brie Hoare-Stevens QC have advice for first-time applicants to the judiciary
Nicky Padfield QC chose Africa over pupillage, an academic career enriched with Recordership, and became a Master of firsts at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. Vocal on sentencing, parole and recall, the professor talks to Anthony Inglese
Interviewee turns interviewer in the new Counsel series Passing the Brief. Here Sarah Vine spends some time bathing in the reflected glory of The Lawyer 2018 Barrister of the Year, Julia Smart
Desiree Artesi sits down with the Attorney General Geoffrey Cox QC MP in the week the Prime Minister was poised to lay the draft Brexit deal before Parliament
A murder in north London, a VAT fraud in the Midlands and the importation of firearms and class A drugs. Richard Jory QC examines three seemingly unrelated cases, all connected by one underlying feature: an uncontrolled addiction to gambling
UK Wide
Are you a talented criminal lawyer looking for the next step in your career? The Crown Prosecution Service is recruiting qualified barristers and solicitors across England and Wales.
Chair of the Bar sets out a busy calendar for the rest of the year
By Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
Examined by Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
Time is precious for barristers. Every moment spent chasing paperwork, organising diaries, or managing admin is time taken away from what matters most: preparation, advocacy and your clients. That’s where Eden Assistants step in
AlphaBiolabs has announced its latest Giving Back donation to RAY Ceredigion, a grassroots West Wales charity that provides play, learning and community opportunities for families across Ceredigion County
Rachel Davenport, Co-founder and Director at AlphaBiolabs, outlines why barristers, solicitors, judges, social workers and local authorities across the UK trust AlphaBiolabs for court-admissible testing
Despite increased awareness, why are AI hallucinations continuing to infiltrate court cases at an alarming rate? Matthew Lee investigates
Come in with your eyes open, but don’t let fear cloud the prospect. A view from practice by John Dove
Looking to develop a specialist practice? Mariya Peykova discusses the benefits of secondments and her placement at the Information Commissioner’s Office
Anon Academic explains why he’s leaving the world of English literature for the Bar – after all, the two are not as far apart as they may first seem...
Review by Stephen Cragg KC