Profession

David Wurtzel reveals the story behind the statistics in this year’s Silk list and Abigail Bright imparts sage career advice from an expert panel of women QCs 

No contacts, no mini-pupillage? Dr Elaine Freer examines the state of work experience at the Bar in light of recent guidance for chambers and her own research on socio-economically disadvantaged aspirant entrants  

On its website pages about work experience, the Bar Council states: ‘Mini-pupillages provide an invaluable insight into life as a barrister and may provide some useful contacts to assist you in finding pupillage.  

The Bar is in danger of losing its distinct legal heritage, warns Clare Cowling – who outlines the considerable research value to be found in chambers records  

Fees are still too low, but the Bar has developed a better settlement for criminal practitioners to reward advocacy in a fairer and more transparent way. Now it’s up to the profession to make their voices heard and respond to the consultation, as Daniel Oscroft explains  

Ask most criminal barristers to tell you if there is a future at the criminal Bar and you will be told, ‘No’.  

Gregory Jones QC relays a short history of barristers’ haunt ‘Farringdon Without’. Never a place for grey-suited City workers, the ward’s past has been a radical and bloody one but in its own way continues to move with the times  

As the largest of the 25 wards, Farringdon Without possesses a diversity of trades and professions greater than any other part of the City of London.  

Identified as one of the four biggest threats to UK security, cyber attacks are not limited to corporate giants or election tampering. Chambers are equally at risk, as Colin Nicholls QC explains  

Cyber security is acknowledged to be one of the greatest threats to business around the world, with a global cost estimated at $445bn, according to the World Economic Forum’s 2016 Global Risks Report.  

Nick Hill explains how the Institute of Barristers’ Clerks and clerking community are working with the Bar to help drive the wellbeing initiative  

At the Bar Conference in October the Wellbeing at the Bar  website was launched, providing information, advice and support for those working at or with the Bar.  

As the 2016-17 Silk cohort is announced, Counsel probes the appointments system with the Chairman of the Queen’s Counsel Selection Panel, Helen Pitcher OBE  

Q  The basic principle of Queen’s Counsel Appointments (QCA) has always been that the process should be open, fair and transparent. But over the years, the process itself has been refined. What have been the major changes and how were the lessons learned – that is, how was it determined that something else would work better? 

Don’t let consultation fatigue saddle generations of future Bar students with more of the status quo: a hugely expensive course with low prospects of acquiring pupillage at the end, argues Guy Fetherstonaugh QC  

Consultation fatigue is a particular problem for the Bar, with its substantial cohort of busy and independently minded practitioners.  

Michael Jennings and Patrick Walker respond to the snapshot findings: while financial security, work/life balance and variety of work are encouraging barristers to take the in-house route, significant frustrations were also reported  

FOOD FOR THOUGHT