News

Are you a civil legal aid (non-family) practitioner? Do you want to help shape the future of the civil legal aid Bar? If so, the Bar Council’s Civil (Public) Panel is looking for motivated members who are eager to share their time, expertise and skills for the benefit of the Bar. 

Profession
New appointments of coroners will be for five years, coroners will retire at 70, and only legally qualified persons will be appointed, Judge Peter Thornton QC, the first holder of the new post of chief coroner for England and Wales, has confirmed. 

Profession
The Bar Council has launched BARCO, a third party escrow account held with Barclays Bank, to allow barristers to offer a wider range of legal services without breaching professional rules. 

As a follow-up to a successful seminar that was run jointly with SIAC in Singapore in March this year, the Bar Council was delighted to welcome SIAC to London on 28 September for a second seminar that focussed on current issues in international arbitration. The Hon. Justice Sundaresh Menon, Judge of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Singapore, gave an opening address at which he outlined the influence of English law in Singapore and the new legislation which permits English counsel to appear in Singaporean courts. 

Sam Stein QC, Chair of the Quality Assurance committee at the BSB, participated in the plenary session at the Young Bar Conference – specifically in the discussion around the implementation of QASA. More information in relation to QASA can be found through the following link: http://www.qasa.org.uk/ 

Supreme Court
The Supreme Court can now make pro bono costs orders, following a change in the law. 

Profession
Patricia Robertson QC, of Fountain Court Chambers, has been appointed as the new vice chair of the Bar Standards Board (BSB). 

The October issue of Counsel  carried a feature by David Edmonds, Chairman of the Legal Services Board, entitled “Walking Forwards Briskly”. Here the Chairman of the Bar Council, Michael Todd QC, responds: 

I confess to some surprise at the publication by Mr Edmonds of his article in Counsel , in which he said that he had “recently characterised the Bar’s approach to the reforms as ‘walking backwards slowly’”; surprise, that is, because I had spoken to him about that suggestion, which I had understood him effectively to have “withdrawn”. Obviously my misunderstanding! 

The Bar Council is once more planning a significant presence at this event, which offers a great opportunity to network with international practitioners from other common law jurisdictions. The Bar Council has built a high profile at this conference in recent years and it is planning to feature an exhibition booth in addition to holding a networking reception for all members to build on their relationships with other conference participants. 

Lord Chief Justice
Increasing the number of women on the Bench is like “turning a tanker around”, the Lord Chief Justice has said.