Day: 26 March 2009

Bringing barristers into harmony with the times – The Times

Posted March 26th, 2009 in barristers, news by sally

“Deech, 65, looks unlikely to do anything faintly. As chairwoman of the Bar Standards Board (BSB), the body in charge of education, training and standards of barristers, she is next week launching research on public trust in the profession, plus a reformed system for handling complaints against barristers — a telephone complaints line; improved plain English leaflets; and a more streamlined system to resolve disputes. Two weeks ago the board outlined a more user-friendly draft code of conduct for the 14,000 barristers in England and Wales.”

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The Times, 26th March 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Extent of council spying revealed – BBC News

Posted March 26th, 2009 in investigatory powers, local government, news by sally

“Councils in England and Wales have used controversial spying laws 10,000 times in the past five years, figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats show.”

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BBC News, 26th March 2009

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Jackson review triggers debate over costs in top-end litigation – Legal Week

Posted March 26th, 2009 in costs, news by sally

“Concerns have been raised about whether Lord Justice Rupert Jackson’s review into the high cost of civil litigation should apply to large-scale commercial disputes.”

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Legal Week, 26th March 2009

Source: www.legalweek.com

Family courts: the poor and most vulnerable are paying dearly – The Times

Posted March 26th, 2009 in family courts, news by sally

“Happily most people will never meet a family law barrister professionally. Those who do, however, will almost certainly be at a time of great crisis in their life. From an acrimonious breakdown of a marriage or civil partnership to the State intervening to remove children who medical or social work professionals believe (rightly or wrongly) to have been abused, any family from any background may find themselves litigating before the family courts. I remember one week when I represented both a prostitute and a peer of the realm (not, on this occasion, in the same case).”

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The Times, 25th March 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk