Opinion

Defence lawyers are concerned that charging is frequently not in the public interest and that defendants with severe mental health problems and/or who are neurodivergent are being pointlessly swept into the criminal justice system, warns Penelope Gibbs

A reminder of what’s at stake. By Stephen Akinsanya

Should counsel be allowed to express a personal opinion about their cases in public, when they cannot do so in court? asks Patrick O'Connor QC 

Structural change brought decline in the quality of legal aid at the same time as the cost tripled – it’s time to return the administration to lawyers, argues Anthony Speaight QC 

Should Ukrainian refugees claim asylum in the first safe country they reach? Colin Yeo takes a look at the rights of entry under the international system carefully established by the Refugee Convention versus the UK’s blunt alternative – the Nationality and Borders Bill

How did we get from a deep and sensible Independent Human Rights Act Review to a simplistic and self-defeating ‘modern bill of rights’?

The recent Privy Council decisions in respect of same-sex matrimonial rights in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda have been met with largescale disappointment. Are there any positives on which to build? asks Tim Prudhoe

John J Burke, an American defence counsel recently transferred to the Bar of England and Wales, offers an insight into why Prince Andrew was wise to avoid sitting for a deposition which would have been a high-stakes gamble

Are British judges sitting in the Privy Council hindering the progress of human rights in the Caribbean and Latin America? asks Dr Leonardo Raznovich

The court backlog, remote hearings and exodus of criminal advocates due to poor remuneration are all linked – and so must be the solutions, writes HH Nigel Lithman QC