2010

22 October 2010 - As you may be aware, the Prime Minister has written to all Government Departments requesting that details of all expenditure on suppliers in excess of £25,000 be made public (and in some cases, the publication threshold is lower). The Attorney General’s Office has asked us to circulate the following letter, which confirms this policy. This will include any payments by any Government Department to self-employed barristers.

20 October 2010 - Following today’s statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the Comprehensive Spending Review, we have spoken with Jonathan Djanogly, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice, about the Ministry’s contribution to reducing the deficit.

19 October 2010 - The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has called for access to justice to be safeguarded, as it identifies its top ten savings in the justice system ahead of tomorrow’s Comprehensive Spending Review. The Chairman of the Bar, Nicholas Green QC, has described the planned cuts to the Ministry of Justice’s budget as “brutal” but urged the Bar to prepare for change and to collaborate with the Government to find savings, in order to mitigate the effects on access to justice.

19 October 2010 - As you may be aware the Government will announce tomorrow (20 October 2010) the results of its Comprehensive Spending Review (“CSR”). An unprecedented £83bn of savings in public expenditure is expected to be identified as the Coalition Government seeks to reduce the budget deficit. It has described this as “the most urgent task facing this country”. From early reports, it seems likely that cuts in the Ministry of Justice’s budget will be among the most severe. Its slice of the savings is likely to exceed, possibly by a significant amount, £2bn of its current £9bn annual budget. It is predicted that civil and family legal aid will be particularly hard hit. But major cuts will be sought in criminal law as well.

15 October 2010 - The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has welcomed the publication of Lord Young’s report, Common Sense, Common Safety, reviewing health and safety laws and associated litigation. However, whilst it provides a timely consideration of these issues, the Bar Council is calling for a sensible response, which addresses how the system operates to ensure that the core principle of access to justice remains.

14 October 2010 - The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has welcomed the confirmation by the Court of Appeal that legal professional privilege (LPP), can be claimed only by clients of qualified lawyers.

13 October 2010 - The first ever National Pro Bono Centre (‘NPBC’) is set to open formally on Tuesday 19 October at its brand new premises at 48 Chancery Lane, in the heart of the legal community, followed by a celebration of pro bono at the Royal Courts of Justice. Guests will include the Rt Hon Dominic Grieve QC MP, the Attorney General; Jonathan Djanogly MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice; and the Rt Hon The Lord Judge, the Lord Chief Justice.

12 October 2010 - The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, is set to stage its 25th Annual Conference on Saturday 6 November at London’s Hilton Metropole. Bringing together a superb array of speakers and workshops, a diverse range of delegates will come together to consider the conference theme, “Raising the Bar: Core Values v. Opportunities”.