Law Reform Committee

Chairman:
Mr Stephen Worthington QC

Vice-Chairmen:
Mr Richard Drabble QC
Miss Alison Green
Mr Tom Dumont

Secretary:
Ms Jan Bye


The terms of reference of the Committee are:

To develop and consider proposals for law reform and to submit views to the Government and others where appropriate.

Responses to Consultation Papers

Copies of Committee responses to consultation papers are available here.

Law Reform Lecture

In addition to its everyday business of responding to consultations, the Law Reform Committee also organises an annual lecture given by a distinguished speaker on a topic of their own choice associated with law reform.  

The Lecture is an annual event attended by a wide audience from the Bar and judiciary.  We invite a distinguished lecturer to speak on a topic associated with Law Reform.  Over the last 6 years, our lecturers have been:

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – “The Human Rights Act 1998 Five Years On”
  • Baroness Hale of Richmond – “Judge and Law Reformer – a Contradiction in Terms”
  • Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss (as she then was) – “Family Law Reform – Opportunities Taken, Wasted and Yet to be Seized”
  • Lord Steyn – “Our Government and the Rule of Law since 9/11”
  • Sir Terence Etherton, the Chairman of the Law Commission – “Law Reform in England & Wales: A Shattered Dream or Triumph of Political Vision”
  • The Attorney General – “Justice for All - Closing the Gap for Fraud Victims”
  • Lord Hoffmann – “Reforming the Law of Public Authority Negligence”

The speech given by Lord Hoffman in 2010 is available here.     

Law Reform Essay Competition

The Law Reform Essay Competition is also an annual event and is aimed at developing and fostering an interest in law reform in pupils, law students, CPE/GDL students and BPTC students.  The competition is generously sponsored by the Bar Council Scholarship Trust and offers prizes of £4,000 for the winner, £2,500 for the runner up, £1,500 for the best CPE/GDL entry and £1,000 for the runner up CPE/GDL entry.  

Click here for details of the 2010 essay competition.   

Click here for the winning entries in the essay competition for previous years.