Professor Katie Atkinson offers a reality check on legal tech: what’s workable now and on the horizon?
David Wurtzel asks Derek Wood CBE QC the million dollar question: will the Inns re-enter the law school market and offer a cheaper and ‘radically innovative’ BPTC?
Time for legal aid to break free from party political discourse? Yes, argues Lucie Wibberley, in light of the recommendations of the Bach Commission for a new Right to Justice Act
HMCTS has announced it is pausing the flexible operating hours pilots. Morwenna Macro, who petitioned against the plans, asks whether the controversial scheme should be abandoned altogether
Vital funds for free legal support agencies need urgent restocking. Clare Carter explains how the Bar can help by seeking costs for all pro bono
With the Bar’s invaluable pro bono, workers’ union IWGB packs a punch well above its weight as a key intervenor and ambitious litigator. Peter Oldham QC talks to its general secretary Jason Moyer-Lee
Pro bono is good for all. Amanda Finlay shines a light on some innovative examples, from ‘social prescribing’ of legal advice to educational outreach
Nicholas Goodwin QC outlines the updated witness preparation guidance from the Bar Council’s Ethics Committee, which confronts head on the ethical lines to be drawn and distills lessons for all practice areas
Mark Hatcher reports on the parallel universe of the party conferences – is the writing off the wall for the Tories as Labour appears to steal a march on legal aid?
Peter Herbert OBE offers a personal perspective on three decades of racial inequality. The Lammy Review published in September makes shocking reading, but will it make a difference? he asks
Belfast, London, Warrington / Hybrid Working
The National Crime Agency (NCA) is currently recruiting an exceptional Solicitor and/or Barrister specialising in employment law with significant post qualification experience.
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