News

Regulation (EC) No 593/2008 on the law applicable to contractual obligations was adopted by the Council in June of this year.

The Bar Standards Board is delighted to announce that Simon Garrod has been appointed Head of Professional Practice for the Bar Standards Board. Simon is currently Manager, Remuneration and Policy with the Bar Council and will be joining the BSB on 3 November. 

At a recent meeting of the Commission’s new EU “Justice Forum” the Commission promised to issue a Communication on mutual recognition in the criminal justice field, identifying gaps in the programme, and problems in negotiating EU instruments and in their implementation. The Commission also has plans for judicial training; ‘ne bis in idem’; conflicts of jurisdiction; a revised proposal on minimum procedural safeguards and the one on the rights of victims.

THE Social Mobility Foundation and the Bar Council have, for the second year, worked together to enable 34 bright A level students from low income backgrounds to spend a week finding out about life at the Bar. The students spent a week shadowing barristers at work, touring the Inns of the Court and attending a Crown Court. The students had an insight into the work of both employed and self employed barristers including meeting clients, reviewing papers and each was paired with a nominated barrister. 

The CLA will celebrate its 25th anniversary in October by hosting a conference in Jamaica focussing on “Justice at home and abroad”. 

THE Bar Council has congratulated barristers Shelley White, Shaheed Fatima and Melissa Lesson who have been identified as amongm the female professional leaders of tomorrow. 

THE Bar Council has today welcomed the publication of the Wood Report on the Bar Vocational Course (BVC), which was produced by a Working Group chaired by Derek Wood QC. The report and its recommendations will now be considered by the Bar Standards Board (BSB). The report has taken into consideration the Bar Council report on the BVC by Richard Wilson QC (published in April 2008), as well as Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury’s report on access to the Bar, published in November 2007. 

Reports have been received of solicitors requiring payments to be made to them by barristers in return for work to be referred to the barristers in criminal cases. 

AT the World Bar Conference of the International Council of Advocates and Barristers (ICAB) held in Dublin and Belfast from 27th - 30th June 2008, the Bars of Australia, England and Wales, Hong Kong, Ireland, Namibia, Northern Ireland, Scotland, South Africa and Zimbabwe considered the events currently taking place in Zimbabwe. 

THE current Vice Chairman of the Bar Council, Desmond Browne QC of 5 Raymond Buildings, has been elected Chairman for 2009.