‘It seems “relatively straightforward” for barristers to avoid the cab-rank rule by relying on exemptions, the Legal Services Board (LSB) has said.’
Legal Futures, 17th October 2023
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘There is “absolutely no evidence” that barristers and other advocates need a new anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing regime, their UK representative bodies have argued.’
Legal Futures, 16th October 2023
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Two barristers, one of them a silk, have lost what was described as an “all or nothing” court case in which they sued a former client for £150,000 in fees.’
Law Society's Gazette, 12th October 2023
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has reported a surge of lawyers from the Indian sub-continent seeking to be called to the Bar in England and Wales – even though many appear to have no intention of practising here.’
Legal Futures, 11th October 2023
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced digital technologies are rapidly changing legal practice. Many solicitors’ firms now feature in-house innovation teams to identify and implement digital transformation opportunities; barristers regularly engage with clients and the courts through virtual consultations, hearings, and electronic bundles; and the Legal Services Board recently issued draft guidance for frontline regulators including the BSB to promote technology and innovation where it may improve access to legal services.’
Bar Standards Board, 8th October 2023
Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has welcomed an increase in reports of bullying and harassment in the profession, saying the rise indicates growing confidence in how it deals with them.’
Legal Futures, 9th October 2023
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The Legal Services Board (LSB) has “no role” in promoting the use of technology and there are “dangers in using regulatory levers to attempt to do so”, the Bar Council has warned.’
Legal Futures, 4th October 2023
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The International Bar Association (IBA) has listed the most pressing challenges facing the profession over the next five years – a first for the global body.’
Law Society's Gazette, 28th September 2023
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘It is “difficult to see the justification for treating counsel’s fees differently from solicitors’ fees” when it comes to applying guideline hourly rates (GHR), a High Court judge said yesterday.’
Legal Futures, 28th September 2023
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Topic: The role of regulation in promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in the legal sector – regulatory requirements and priorities, initiatives and next steps, sector responsibilities, and future areas of focus.’
Bar Standards Board, 26th September 2023
Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
‘The businessman who hired an ex-Royal Marine to plant fake bombs outside the chambers of two barristers against whom he had a vendetta has been jailed for eight years and two months.’
Legal Futures, 25th September 2023
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Following the conclusion of the Bar Standards Board’s (BSB) consultation on conduct in non-professional life, the BSB Board has approved new guidance which we are publishing today. The guidance includes revised Social Media Guidance, new Guidance on the Regulation of Non-Professional Conduct, the BSB’s response to the consultation and revisions to BSB Handbook guidance.’
Bar Standards Board, 20th September 2023
Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
Fees for counsel’s advice in lower-value clinical negligence cases will not be recoverable under the fixed recoverable cost (FRC) regime unless a child or protected party is involved, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has proposed.
Legal Futures, 20th September 2023
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Claimant representatives have reacted angrily to the government’s decision to press ahead with fixed recoverable costs for clinical negligence cases that settle pre-issue for less than £25,000.’
Legal Futures, 18th September 2023
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The Bar Council is boosting its commitment to social mobility at the Bar with the introduction of a contextual recruitment tool to the Pupillage Gateway system from 2024/25. The announcement was made in a speech on the future of the Bar by Nick Vineall KC, Chair of the Bar of England and Wales, last night (Wednesday 13 September). Contextual recruitment tools look at the context in which students receive their grades, so that recruiters can identify candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds who outperformed their immediate peers and who can demonstrate the qualities needed to succeed at the Bar, but who might otherwise be missed in a recruitment process.’
The Bar Council, 14th September 2023
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
‘Chair of the Bar Nick Vineall KC has called on the profession to call people to the Bar only when they have completed pupillage. The present system means that the title of barrister is conferred on people who are not entitled to practise as barristers, and he argues that this creates a real risk of confusion for clients and is not in the public interest.’
The Bar Council, 13th September 2023
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
‘DPP Speech to the Bar Council, 9 September 2023.’
Crown Prosecution Service, 9th September 2023
Source: www.cps.gov.uk
‘A leading British lawyer has compared UK government attacks on the profession to the tactics used by authoritarian regimes. Helena Kennedy KC, one of the UK’s most renowned criminal lawyers and a Labour peer, said ministers were deliberately creating scapegoats.’
The Guardian, 10th September 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The Bar Council is to meet non-disclosure agreement (NDA) pressure group Can’t Buy My Silence in the wake of its criticism of the barrister body’s stance.’
Legal Futures, 5th September 2023
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The woman who first broke a Harvey Weinstein non-disclosure agreement (NDAs) has strongly criticised the Bar Council for dismissing the growing evidence of NDA abuse.’
Legal Futures, 4th September 2023
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
