News

Daydream believers
Lawyers are the third most likely profession to daydream, according to a recent poll of 2,000 British workers by Travelodge. 

Family
Cross-border family legal disputes referred to the Office of the Head of International Family Justice for England and Wales have quadrupled over the last four years. 

Criminal
An internal CPS investigation has confirmed that the so-called ‘tick and star’ allocation guidance was issued to just one part of CPS London – the five Crown Courts of London North – and does not represent CPS policy. 

Crime
A new impetus is required to identify and tackle disability hate crime, according to a new Criminal Justice Joint Inspectorate report. 

The QASA Scheme Handbook is due to be published on 17 June 2013. 

Phase One
30 September 2013 - 10 January 2014
Registration period in the first area - Midlands and Western Circuits 

Visit to Kyiv and St Petersburg
The International Committee, supported by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), steered a trade mission from the Bar to Kyiv and St Petersburg from 17 - 21 March. Over 30 members applied for the mission and 19 were selected. The group was well mixed, demonstrating the wide range of expertise at the Bar (nine commercial/chancery practitioners, five criminal and one family barristers, one IP practitioner and one mediator). The programme included seminars for local law firms, breakfast meetings with in-house counsel, networking receptions and UKTI market briefings. Seminars covered subjects such as: an introduction to the Bar; commercial situations and regulatory affairs where barristers work with foreign lawyers and clients; asset protection through the criminal, commercial and matrimonial courts; and paying for legal proceedings in England and Wales. A meeting was held with the St Petersburg Bar to discuss future cooperation. The first joint event will be a seminar on criminal defence matters in May following the International Legal Forum. 

At the time of going to press, the BSB gave an initial response to the Ministry of Justice consultation on proposed changes to legal aid funding on April 9 (http://www.justice.gov.uk/ consultations). 

Legal aid
Crown Court and Very High Cost Cases (VHCC) “advocacy services” have escaped price competitive tendering (PCT) – at least for now – but the Bar faces further fee cuts under the government’s proposals. 

Profession
Proposals to cut the cost of litigation and speed up dispute resolution have been presented to the senior judiciary by the Bar Council. 

Paul Stewart recounts the thrills and spills of the 3rd Lawyers Cricket World Cup and issues a call to arms for the forthcoming 4th tournament  

Tuesday 14 August 1984 and, being both a young and diligent practitioner at the Bar, I attended the Oval to watch the final day of the celebrated West Indian “blackwash” series when Clive Lloyd’s team completed the humiliation of David Gower’s team. The West Indian attack, spearheaded by Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding, had bowled England out for 202 to win by 172 runs. Desmond Hayes had provided the platform for victory scoring a century in the WI second innings, having opened with Gordon Greenidge as he was to do in 148 test innings.