Will generative AI significantly impact the work of barristers? Graham Denholm investigates what it might mean for the Bar
PJ Kirby KC, self-confessed technophobe, considers why barristers are reluctant to embrace data and analytics, whether we should be doing more with data, and how others in the litigation process are using it
Legal innovation or risky business? asks Aaron Mayers
Discriminatory algorithms, AI hallucinations and data privacy – Sara Ibrahim looks at the key risks for lawyers
An elegant experiment – but what does the Tokyo AI mock trial actually show? ask William Blair and Takashi Kubota*
The Bar stands to gain by aligning its use of AI with improvements in access to justice and our working lives, write Harry Hodgkin and Stephen Ward
‘Every Day Gender Equality’ at Freshfields has changed culture, fostered allyship and triggered other initiatives. Chantelle Nicholas, Jenny Leahy and Rachel Brooks share its key points with the Bar
George Floyd would have been astonished to learn that his death had opened the eyes of UK financial and professional leaders to the inequities faced by Black professionals here. But what if he had asked, ‘Will it actually change anything?’ Harry Matovu KC, Laura Durrant and Olivia Roberts on the Black Talent Charter
A story of rejection, self-improvement and finding one’s forte in the process, by Olufemi Awodele
Why doing just enough on EDI is not enough: Chris Kelly highlights the benefits of best practice, and provides a refresher on the requirements
UK
Details of the qualification requirements can be found in the information pack. It is expected that the successful applicant will take up their post in the spring of 2027.
The Chair of the Bar reports back
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, explains how global events can influence the performance of pensions and ISAs, and why taking a long-term approach to investing is often the most effective strategy
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, discusses what family law professionals need to know about hallucinogens, from the main hallucinogenic drugs encountered in family proceedings, to their effects and the testing options available
Harmony Christian Ministries is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
By David Green
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, examines the forensic science underpinning hair drug testing, its evidential scope and limitations, and why it remains the gold standard for evidencing patterns of drug use in family proceedings
Developing a tech start-up demands a different definition of excellence to the Bar, says Saara Idelbi. The co-creator of Advocatr on entrepreneurship, AI advocacy training, and matching the thrill of a killer cross-examination
At the start of her term, Chair of the Bar 2026 Kirsty Brimelow KC set out a series of priorities for the year ahead. One of those priorities was children in the justice system
As the world becomes more digital, Barbara Vinagre Mota examines international research into the mental health consequences of judges’ exposure to graphic and immersive evidence, highlighting the importance of support systems
Reviewed by Daniel Barnett
James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain until 27 September Rothko in Florence at Palazzo Strozzi until 23 August Reviewed by Stephen Cragg KC