Mutiny, chaos and white-noise politics: is anyone in control? Mark Hatcher presents a parliamentary vignette on the eve of the crushing Brexit vote
As 2018 draws to a close, Mark Hatcher reflects on Brexit’s heavy toll, a tumultuous year at Westminster and a glimmer of hope for the criminal justice system
Post-Justice Week, Mark Hatcher is cautiously optimistic: frank exchanges at the MoJ accounts evidence session suggest that Westminster is finally getting the message
Panto season as politicians struggle with the biggest set of challenges since 1945; and will opportunity knock for justice in October’s Budget? Mark Hatcher is concerned
It’s stop-start at Westminster. The flame of legal aid continues to flicker but public attention is focusing Ministry minds. Mark Hatcher examines state of play
‘Houdini May’ may yet escape from her Brexit box, but Mark Hatcher hopes the PM will use the recess to reflect on the place of justice in the government’s agenda
As the Bar leaders’ evidence cuts to the core on what’s wrong with the criminal justice system, Mark Hatcher puts his hope in Gauke to deliver a larger share for justice
The criminal Bar’s future occupies hearts and minds; is it too much to hope the MoJ wakes up and smells the coffee from its spanking-new reception, asks Mark Hatcher
Parliamentary awareness of the justice crisis is building but it’s hardly registering with voters. We need to explain in vivid terms why it matters to us all, says Mark Hatcher
Mark Hatcher weighs the value of select committees’ ‘pester power’ in securing positive change – not least for the Bar. Why then so little scrutiny of their impact?
England and Wales
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The Chair of the Bar reports back
By Kem Kemal, CEO, Henry Dannell
By BSK Financial Planning
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs
Susie Griffin on the admin that keeps barristers from billable work
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, explains how global events can influence the performance of pensions and ISAs, and why taking a long-term approach to investing is often the most effective strategy
Kick off your career at the Bar Council’s Pupillage Fair this October it’s one of the most valuable opportunities for aspiring barristers, says Amelia Clegg
Join us on Saturday 21 November 2026 at Leeds Beckett University and see for yourself why the North continues to be an exceptional place to build a career at the Bar
The golden age of advocacy? David Langwallner pays homage to the filmic if contentious barrister Sir Edward Carson and some of his contemporaries
Henry Fingerhut outlines what the Bar Standards Board AI guidance means for early career barristers
Not yet, says Jacob Turner. Regulation, unlike the technology itself, is a domain the legal profession can still control