News

Legal aid
Lawyers and campaigners gathered in protest against the Government’s legal aid proposals in a mass rally outside the Ministry of Justice on 4 June – timed to coincide with the day the Transforming legal aid  consultation closed. 

This event offers an excellent opportunity for members of the Bar to meet senior US litigators and other international lawyers. The Bar Council will be hosting a joint networking reception with the American Counsel Association (ACA). If you are attending this event and would like to be added to the reception invitation list, please email: CMuorah@BarCouncil. org.uk. 

Legal aid
“No price competitive tendering, not under any circumstances,” was the message delivered by the leaders of the legal profession, who gave evidence to the Justice Select Committee on the Government’s proposals for reform of criminal legal aid on 11 June. 

Legal Aid
The Council of Her Majesty’s Circuit Judges has submitted a stinging response to the Transforming legal aid  consultation, questioning the evidence base of its “bald assertions” and criticising the short period of consultation. 

Following the success of the 2011 English Law Week in Moscow and the 2012 Russian Law Week in London, the Bar Council’s International Committee in partnership with the Law Society of England and Wales and other partners will be holding the second English Law Week in Moscow from 18 to 20 November 2013. The theme of the conference is "Managing (Contractual) Risk under English Law: In an M&A and Banking Context". 

Profession
Alistair MacDonald QC has been named the Vice Chairman-Elect of the Bar Council, following a contested election. 

Legal aid
Hundreds of lawyers took their protest against the reforms proposed in the Transforming legal aid  consultation to the streets of Westminster on 22 May. 

Courts
Traffic courts with police-led prosecutions are to be rolled out across the country to speed up the process of dealing with low-level road traffic offences, Justice Minister Damian Green has confirmed. 

Treasury counsel speak out
Barristers briefed by the Government have condemned the impact of its legal aid proposals as “unconscionable”. In an open letter to the Attorney General Dominic Grieve MP QC (4 June), 145 Treasury counsel said that they were well aware of the ways in which judicial review claims “can prove a source of frustration for government” but said that its proposals would undermine the accountability of public bodies. 

Profession
“People are acutely conscious of their vulnerability when using legal services” and are “intimidated by the law and lawyers”, according to Empowering Consumers, a report from the Legal Services Consumer Panel.