News

On 23 June, the European Commission launched its voluntary online register of interest representatives engaged in influencing the policy formulation and decision-making processes of the European institutions.
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/kallas/transparency_en.htm It is expected that eventually there will be a common register for all three main EU institutions. 

Developments on these and other current issues are reported on in Brussels News, the regular newsletter of the Brussels Office for members of the Bar of England & Wales. The next issue will be in September / October. Please e-mail: evanna.fruithof@barcouncil.be 

The Commission has issued a Communication proposing an EU e- Justice strategy, identifying priority actions for the next 5 years, iincluding the creation of a European e-Justice portal for citizens and encouraging effective cooperation between judicial authorities in the Member States. See: http://ec.europa.eu/civiljustice/docs/com_2008_329_en.pdf 

There is also an EP Working Document on the same subject:
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/committees/workingDocsCom.do?language=EN&body=JURI 

THE 2007 SURVEY 

AT the end of November 2007 the Employed Barristers’ Committee (EBC) of the Bar Council undertook a ‘Survey of the Employed Bar’ to find out more about the profile of employed barristers, their backgrounds and interests, the issues that affected employed practitioners and the matters that they thought the EBC - as their representatives – should prioritise in 2008. The results of this Survey are not representative of the employed Bar as a whole but they give a good indication of practitioners’ concerns and provide the EBC with important feedback. 

In line with the results of a public consultation carried out late last year, at the end of June the Commission introduced a legislative package launching a settlement procedure for cartels, which could allow them to benefit from a reduction in fines of up to 10%.
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/competition/cartels/legislation/settlements.html 

THE Chairman of the Bar, Tim Dutton QC, has today addressed the Institute of Barristers’ Clerks annual conference, and warned that the Bar must maintain its focus on excellence as it moves into a new era of Alternative Business Structures ushered in by the Legal Services Act 2007. 

A delegation of senior members of the Bar Association of the High Court, Bombay, has visited the UK, spending time at the Palace of Westminster and observing proceedings at the Royal Courts of Justice, where they have also attended seminars on Administrative Law, Intellectual Property Rights, Cross-Border Litigation and Human Rights, and participated in a wide range of meetings. The delegation also visited Manchester’s civil courts. 

AT the beginning of May , the Chairman of the Bar led a small delegation from the International Committee to Dubai, Qatar and Bahrain. The objectives of this first-ever visit by an official Bar Council delegation to the Gulf States were (i) to raise the profile of barristers and the legal services they provide in some of the fastest growing legal markets in the world, (ii) to learn about the opportunities that exist for the Bar in these markets and (iii) to evaluate the opportunities to assist with the development of the rule of law in these three jurisdiction. 

The Bar Standards Board is committed to developing a quality assurance scheme to monitor chambers for compliance with the requirements laid down in the Code of Conduct and to promote quality in practice management and administration. The Board intends for the scheme to: 

THE Bar Council has launched its new Brussels office. The new office will be shared with the European arms of other legal organisations such as the German Federal Bar, the Law Societies of England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and the Austrian Bar. The move will allow the English Bar to deepen its relationships with European legal professional bodies and their members and provide the Bar Council with opportunities to benefit from discussions and joint initiatives with their counterparts concerning current and future EU developments. 

THE Bar Council has responded to the findings of a report which shows that poor case management by the CPS is having a direct impact on court proceedings.