Your Bar: Sponsored Content

Releasing the pressure valve (commercial feature)

Arbitration offers a viable alternative to courts. By Mercy McBrayer

Cornwall Street adapts for the future (commercial feature)

Many sets are rethinking their space due to the financial and operational impact of COVID-19, and Cornwall Street Barristers has already adapted its business model for the future. By James Farmer

Key to the future (commercial feature)

Unlocking your aged debt to augment cash flow as we ease out of lockdown. By Philip N Bristow

Silks share insights with Women in the Law UK including Black Lives Matter at the Bar

Courtenay Griffiths QC discusses with Sally Penni barriers to BAME representation in the judiciary and Women in the Law UK will host a special Why Black Lives Matter webinar on 3 July

CIArb names Catherine Dixon as Director General (sponsored content)

The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), the world’s leading qualifications and professional body for the promotion of alternative dispute resolution, is pleased to announce the appointment of Catherine Dixon as Director General with effect from 1 May 2020. Catherine will succeed Anthony Abrahams who has retired following eight years in post.

Catherine joins CIArb having just completed a world-record breaking circumnavigation of the world on a tandem. Prior to her expedition Catherine spent time in chief executive roles at the Law Society of England and Wales, Askham Bryan College and NHS Resolution. Catherine has also held senior leadership roles at the NSPCC and BUPA. Catherine has served as a trustee and non-executive director on a number of boards, including the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution and she is currently a trustee of Stonewall. Catherine is a non-practising solicitor and accredited mediator.

Jonathan Wood MCIArb, Chair of CIArb’s Board of Trustees, said: ‘We are delighted to have appointed someone of the calibre of Catherine to the role of Director General. She brings to CIArb a wealth of experience and understanding of the alternative dispute resolution world and the Board looks forward to working closely with her to promote and develop the work of CIArb globally.’

Commenting on her appointment, Catherine, said: ‘I am honoured to have been appointed to this prestigious role and to lead the continued growth of CIArb which I know to be at the forefront of thought-leadership, training, standards and ethics in alternative dispute resolution. I am looking forward to working closely with CIArb’s members to grow membership whilst continuing to ensure that the CIArb is at the forefront of alternative dispute resolution across the world.’

The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) is a Royal Charter body and charity established in 1915 with over 16,000 members across the world. It exists to promote and facilitate all forms of alternative dispute resolution as an alternative to litigation.

Changing behaviour in the international dispute community (sponsored content)

International dispute practitioners are waking up to the need to change the way in which they manage cases to reduce their carbon footprint

Vulnerable young clients: 7stars grant opportunities

Following successful partnership with Coram Chambers, the7stars foundation seeks further collaboration with chambers to extend the reach of its unique grant programme.

The grant programme funded by the7stars foundation (founded and powered by the7stars media agency) awards grants between £200 and £2,500 to the UK’s most challenged young people (16 years and under). Finance is available for projects which will impact a vulnerable child’s life (for example, recreational trips, mentoring programmes, and counselling sessions).

The7stars foundation invites lawyers and legal specialists, guardians and social workers to apply to the foundation on behalf of a child they may represent or work with.

Applications must be submitted in line with the foundation’s giving priorities of ‘abuse’, ‘addiction’, ‘child carers’, or ‘homelessness’. Funding requests are reviewed on a quarterly basis by the7stars trustee board.

Through partnership, Coram Chambers has promoted the programme on a regular basis to their network of law specialists, guardians and social workers.

Foundation Director Alexandra Taliadoros, says: ‘We are so grateful to Coram Chambers for their valuable collaboration which has changed the lives of many young children. We wish to build upon the impact we have achieved together, and extend our partnership to other legal organisations or chambers who are able to promote the grant programme to their network in order for young people to benefit from this funding opportunity.’

Richard Yorke, a barrister at Coram Chambers comments: ‘It was a pleasure to work with Alex and the the7stars foundation on setting up this project, the collaboration has allowed us as lawyers to go one step further in helping drive the aspirations of some of the clients we represent. I would strongly recommend other barristers and Chambers to get involved with this project.’

If you would like to discuss partnership with the7stars foundation further, please contact alexandra@the7starsfoundation.co.uk

Case studies

Some examples of the children the7stars foundation has had the privilege of supporting:

A young homeless girl referred to us by a local authority in Harrow

After becoming estranged from her family, she found it difficult to attend secondary school and subsequently missed her GCSE exams. Through her own research, she found a hairdressing apprenticeship program to help turn her life around, acquire new skills and bring potential into her adult life. Along with this apprenticeship, the program also offers her the opportunity to complete her English and Maths functional skills exams.

Our grant will help her fund attending the apprenticeship and learn a new skill to put into a career to help her move forward with her life. The grant will also help her to buy appropriate attire and equipment as well as a passport and provisional driving licence, easing the stress of having to afford these items all on her own.

The family of two young children that were referred to us by a South London authority

One child from the family is of school age and due to the lack of a washing machine in the home, he is often in school with unclean clothes as well as often off school due to parents struggling to find areas of support. With our grant, we were able to provide the young family with a washing machine that will bring to them peace of mind in having clean clothes in help to give them confidence and a better quality of life day to day.

Two brothers from Afghanistan

The young boys were trafficked and then rescued from the refugee camp in Calais by the Baobab Centre for Young Survivors. The brothers had to flee their country after their parents were murdered and en route the pair were separated, unsure if each other were alive. They are now reunited and are moving into a one bedroom flat that the foundation has provided as well as funding for essential items in their new home. The flat and essential items will help them feel at home as much as they can and provide the base to begin their life again.

A budding basketball star

The foundation was delighted to fund a place on an NBC Basketball course for a budding basketball star who has overcome challenges in his personal life involving a family members’ addiction problems and domestic abuse. The young man and is now on track to meet his ambition to go to a USA college on a sports scholarship.

A vulnerable young person referred by a London local authority

This young person lives alone with his father in an isolated and difficult environment. Our provision allowed this individual to have a more child friendly and stimulating home that includes soft furnishings and educational toys. As well as nicer home environment, the funding allowed the opportunity for an inspiring experience of attending a live football match, which is his passion!

Women in Law: Support, Retention, Progression - WCWF 2019 conference

In celebration of International Women’s Day 2019 on 8 March 2019, over 200 delegates came together for the Western Circuit Women’s Forum’s (WCWF’s) first ever conference: ‘Women in Law: Support, Retention, Progression.’ The event was sponsored by 3PB Chambers, Albion Chambers, Anglia DNA, Brewin Dolphin, Class Legal, Devon Chambers, Magdalen Chambers, Place Campbell, Queen Square Chambers and Stowe Family Law LLP.

Barristers, solicitors, judges and students from across the South-West and beyond gathered at Armada House in Bristol, and listened to a range of inspirational speakers sharing their experiences and insights on how women in law can be supported in their careers. The WCWF is extremely grateful to His Honour Judge Wildblood, the Honourable Mrs Justice May DBE, the Right Honourable Thangam Debbonaire MP, Maggie Semple OBE FCGI, Sarah Langford, Alison Hawes (Burges Salmon), Mary Jackson (LawCare) and Kate Brunner QC for giving up their time to address the conference delegates. You can find a full conference write-up here.

In the lead-up to the conference, WCWF Steering Group members Carol Mashembo and Emma Cross co-ordinated an essay competition for university law students in Exeter, Plymouth and Bristol. They had an amazing response from the students of whom the overall winner was Nicole Hilton. Nicole is an LLB Law Student at the University of Bristol and was the lucky winner of an iPad kindly sponsored by Albion Chambers. You can find her amazing essay entry attached below.

The UK Association of Women Judges Autumn Conference, Liverpool

Thursday 8/Friday 9 November 2018

A Happy International Women’s Day in Suffragette City

The first female president of the Supreme Court, Baroness Hale, a former member of the Northern Circuit, was the 2018 Women in The Law UK (WITLUK) guest speaker at the WITLUK annual dinner in Manchester, attended by 200 men and women from diverse backgrounds

Coinciding with 100 years since women got the right to vote and celebrating UN International Women’s Day, Baroness Hale spoke about the suffragettes and the difference they made, concluding by saying women can be anything they want to be.

Next year’s dinner is already set for 14 March 2019 when it will be 100 years since women could practice law.

In the meantime WITLUK will be continuing with monthly professional development events which will have a special emphasis on wellbeing at the Bar. Sally Penni, founder of WITLUK, said: 'Our aim is to encourage professional development but also to encourage personal development and hence retention at the Bar, through collaboration not competition. Our male colleagues are welcome'. Working with the CBA, they are also encouraging social mobility into the legal profession.

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