Profession

What battles await the new Bar Council Chairman? David Wurtzel talks to Desmond Browne QC about the dragons he intends to anaesthetise, if not slay, in 2009 

Don’t face a wasted costs claim. Open your eyes to the power and mechanics of litigation technology, says Chris Dale 

Patrick Ryan reports on the 17th Bar National Mock Trial Competition and some fine examples of future advocates.  

More than 200 school students were welcomed to Liverpool, Europe’s Capital of Culture for 2008, for the final of the Bar National Mock Trial Competition on Saturday 1 March. They gathered at the Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts, having battled through the earlier stages of the competition knowing that only one of the 16 schools who had made it to the final could be victorious. The teams were organised into four leagues, with the two highest scoring teams overall progressing to a grand final. 

Equal numbers of men and women may well be called to the Bar, but the female brain drain continues. Catherine Baksi talks to mothers at the Bar about the practical challenges they face.  

It is less than a hundred years since women have been permitted to practise at the Bar, following the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919. Until 1990, some chambers still operated a men only policy. Despite this, the advancement of women at the Bar, or “Portia’s progress” as some commentators have called it, has been steady. Men and women are now coming to the Bar in roughly equal numbers, but more than twice as many women as men leave independent practice between six and 10 years’ call. According to Bar Council exit surveys, this is largely due to childcare issues. The long hours, unpredictable nature of the job and often precarious financial situation for those at the self-employed Bar make it difficult to juggle with family life. 

Marc Beaumont views the legal services reforms through the kaleidoscope of three distinct chambers models and identifies a panacea for the insecurities that can plague a barrister’s life.  

In the Three Ages of Man, Titian represented a conception of a man’s cycle of life: childhood; manhood; and old age. He depicted childhood as frivolous and carefree. The young man is amorous and adventurous. The old man stares at two skulls: he seems without hope, contemplating the meaning of life and searching in vain for an answer in the eye-sockets of a human skull. 

As civil and family judges prepare to break with traditional court dress, the Bar resolutely holds firm to the wig. But its history is less consensual than might be supposed, finds Dan Stacey.  

Like many of our ancient traditions, it was largely invented in the late 18th and 19th centuries. The wig had taken over from the bonnet or cap as barristerial headgear in 1680s. “Rather coxcombical,” muttered more traditional members of the Bar and judiciary. Indeed, some judges refused to allow young members of the Bar to plead before them so attired. 

As the Ministry of Justice marks its first anniversary, Elsa Booth meets Jack Straw—the first Lord Chancellor to sit in the Commons and with an unprecedented remit—and examines the man behind the ministry and his vision for justice 

It’s halfway through the CPD year. Never one to leave things to the last minute, Elizabeth Davidson explores an array of means to gain your points in good time

Developing your skills as a barrister and keeping up to date with the latest developments in the law is crucial if you want to be successful. It is also a professional obligation. The Bar Standards Board sets strict requirements for all members of the Bar on Continuing Professional Development (CPD). This is to ensure the profession maintains its standards of service and continues to offer high quality legal advice and representation. 

David Quinton explains how barristers can now use pension plans to help buy premises through the Professional Practices SIPP

Barristers, like any other self-employed professionals, need to consider carefully how to generate funds for retirement to ensure a comfortable lifestyle in older age. Recent developments have substantially improved the pension planning opportunities. 

The Bar’s future as a referral profession has been secured, but consider the impact if the nature of those who refer work changes, warns Stephen Mayson.  

The Bar Council was rightly proud of its response and effective lobbying as the Legal Services Bill made its passage through Parliament. As a result, the Bar seems to emerge relatively unscathed now that the Legal Services Act 2007 (LSA 2007) is with us. Indeed, the Perceptions of Barristers survey commissioned by the Bar Standards Board of the Bar’s “stakeholders” found a high level of satisfaction, with barristers seen as competent, highly qualified and dedicated, and whose advocacy skills set them apart (see Counsel, January 2008, p 4 and March 2008, p 24).