professionThe Bar Standards Board (BSB) will have a majority of lay members for the first time next year.
Pupils will not be eligible to take up a tenancy or a position as an employed barrister until they have been issued with a full qualification certificate, which certifies completion of pupillage.
European Contract LawThe Commission is expected to adopt a landmark legislative proposal on or around 18 October. A flavour of what to expect can be gleaned from Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding’s call to arms on the subject, viewable at:http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/11/539&fo...The Academy of European Law in Trier is holding an event on consumer law just beforehand, at which it will be discussed. A member of the Bar will be speaking. See http://preview.tinyurl.com/4xl4qo4
professionThe Bar Council is calling on the Government to extend the ban on personal injury referral fees to cases in other areas of law.
Helping riot victimsA helpline for victims of the recent riots has been set up by LawWorks with the assistance of the Bar Pro Bono Unit, Law Society and several law firms. The initiative aims to help individuals, community groups and small businesses affected by the riots and looting to obtain free legal advice on matters ranging from insurance and compensation to contractual, property and employment law. More information is available at www.lawworks.org.uk/riothelp. The helpline number is 020 7092 3949.
criminalNew proposals have been announced regarding sentencing for multiple offences and mode of trial decisions.
CriminalIn two recent judgments, the Court of Appeal quashed convictions because of the judge’s behaviour during the case. Both matters took place at Kingston on Thames Crown Court and within four weeks of one another, in October and November 2010.
professionThe Bar Council has extended a cautious welcome to proposals to allow TV cameras in court.Currently, filming is banned in all courts in England and Wales apart from the Supreme Court - Sky News has broadcast a live video stream from the Supreme Court on its website since May.
professionThe Bar Council and the Family Law Bar Association (FLBA), hosted a national meeting of the family Bar on 17 September to warn of the effects of the Government’s intended justice cuts.
Birmingham
We are seeking a permanent, full-time Family & Childcare Team Secretary for our newly expanded team in our Birmingham office.
Update from the Chair of the Bar
By Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group
Modernising communication and collaboration at a leading Chancery set. A Zexi case study
How to build profile without compromising professional duties. By Naumaan Farooq, Co-Founder of Inked PR
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, examines the role of cut-off levels, and the wider range of factors that must be considered when interpreting results for family court proceedings
Endometriosis Awareness North, a charity raising awareness of endometriosis and supporting those affected across the North of England, has received a £500 boost from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
A decade of reviews and research has disrupted accepted thinking in the search for causality. Suicides following abuse have overtaken domestic homicides. Is the law keeping up? Professor Susan Edwards KC (Hon) examines recent cases and the obstacles to successful prosecution
The case against judge-only justice and why efficiency is not enough. By Professor Leslie Thomas KC
Jemima Coleman and Zo Leventhal KC on the evolving global movement seeking to reframe how we view nature: to recognise that nature possesses inherent rights and to enshrine these rights in law
Heritage as an anchor and a compass, finding our common humanity and embracing the power of the outsider Melina Antoniadis’s lessons learnt
Lauren Fullerton examines the how, what and why of setting up a second chambers base