News

The Bar Council is continuing its campaign to promote barristers in the Middle East with a business development mission to the Gulf destinations of Oman, Abu Dhabi, Qatar. 

The National Autistic Society (“NAS”) has launched the Autism Legal Network, and is looking for cases with the potential to change the law.

The Bar Standards Board (BSB) is currently looking to recruit members to its Board and Committees. 

The Law Minister of India, Hon. Veerappa Moily, visited London from 5 to 9 July 2010. 

Barristers, including QCs, will be required to undergo a compulsory re-accreditation process every five years under proposals for a new criminal advocacy assurance scheme that is due to begin next July. 

Professor Jeffrey Jowell QC has been appointed the director of the new Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, which is established within the British Institute of International and Comparative Law.

LAW REFORM COMMITTEE WEB SURVEY – WE ARE SEEKING YOUR VIEWS 

The Law Reform Committee is seeking the views of the Bar on areas of law reform which it could usefully proactively consider and is asking members of the Bar to complete a short web survey (which should take no more than a couple of minutes) to let us know areas of law reforms which you would like the LRC to consider on behalf of the Bar. The survey can be found on the Bar Council website at www.barcouncil.org.uk/lrc. 

As reported in the August edition of Bar News, on 6 October 2010 a new regime for dealing with complaints about the service provided by barristers to their clients will be introduced. On that date, the independent Legal Ombudsman scheme will commence operation and, under the terms of the Legal Services Act 2007 (LSA 2007), the BSB will no longer have the ability to deal with service complaints. Instead, the handling of such complaints will fall to the Legal Ombudsman. 

Barristers are eyeing up the opportunities presented by the new legal business structures, with 43 per cent interested in setting up shop with solicitors. 

The results of a recent survey of the profession show that the vast majority (over 80%) of barristers want the Bar to remain as a separate and independent legal profession, regulated by the Bar Standards Board (BSB), with 35% likely to join new business structures within 5 years if these are permitted.