Guest blog: Solicitor General, Rt Hon Michael Ellis QC MP - Legal education can empower young people
Teaching young people about the law will create a more empowered generation
Five things we did in January 2020
See a snapshot of the Bar Council's work in our feature "Five things the Bar Council did” and read the top five picks from January
Legal Tech: Gamechanger or ethical dilemma?
Bar Council policy experts Melanie Mylvaganam and Stuart McMillan discuss the ethical and regulatory implications of the introduction of AI into the legal market, as well as the potential dangers.
Young Bar blog: Supporting newcomers and preparing for our annual workshop
Katherine Duncan, Chair of the Bar Council's Young Barristers' Committee, blogs on what the YBC has in store for newcomers to the profession in 2020
Guest blog: Lawyers in danger
Patrick Duffy, barrister and member of the Bar Council's International Committee, blogs ahead of the Day of the Endangered Lawyer (Friday 24 January) on why the dangers lawyers face in Pakistan and elsewhere across the world has consequences for the rule of law.
The Young Barristers’ Committee vision for 2020
The Young Barristers’ Committee vision for 2020
Guest blog: New client care letter and other news for Public Access barristers
Andrew Granville Stafford, member of the Bar Council, the Bar Council Ethics Committee and Chair of the Bar Council’s Direct Access Panel, blogs on new developments that public access barristers need to be aware of, including a new client care letter.
End of year highlights (Diversity & Inclusion and CSR)
End of year round-up of highlights from the Diversity & Inclusion and CSR Policy team (which includes Education, Young Bar and Employed Bar).
End of year highlights (International)
End of year round-up of highlights from the International Policy team.
End of year highlights (Legal Practice and Remuneration)
End of year round-up of highlights from the Legal Practice and Remuneration Policy team.
End of year highlights (Law Reform, Regulatory Affairs & Ethics)
End of year round-up of highlights from the Law Reform, Regulatory Affairs and Ethics Policy team.
Guest blog: how the arbitration world can learn from civil procedure
The winner of this year’s Bar Council Law Reform essay competition, Penny Tridimas, guest blog on how the world of arbitration could learn from civil procedure to overcome shortcomings
Guest blog: Karen Safo on making the Bar more inclusive
Barrister-at-law Karen Safo on what you can do to foster inclusion at the Bar
Black History Month blog: “There are still relatively few of us”
Barrister Miranda Grell of 10 King’s Bench Walk Chambers guest blogs for BarTalk in Black History Month on the progress as well as the remaining challenges in diversity at the Bar.
Black History Month blog: How we benefit from bringing Black History Month into the workplace
Abimbola Johnson, barrister at 25 Bedford Row, writes in BarTalk on why it is important for non-black members of the profession to consider how they view Black History Month, particularly if their workplace and social circle is not particularly diverse.
Black History Month blog: It is about inclusion and belonging
Karen Safo, barrister at law and human rights activist, asks in her guest blog for BarTalk whether initiatives aimed at diversifying the profession are enough and that becoming a barrister is about feeling included and a sense of belonging
#IAmTheBar guest blog: Social mobility and valuing how you are different
Mass Ndow-Njie, pupil barrister at the Government Legal Department, blogs about valuing what makes you different to secure pupillage.
Guest blog: My year as a Social Mobility Advocate
Barrister and 2018 Bar Council Social Mobility Advocate, Natasha Shotunde explains how the ‘I Am the Bar’ campaign was just the beginning in promoting equality and making the profession more accessible
Guest blog: UK government must prioritise legal rights of migrants in France
Axis Solicitors take a look at the latest developments in Calais for migrants, many of whom are asylum seekers trying to reach the UK, and how their rights need to be taken into account.
Guest blog: How will the UK immigration system cope with no deal Brexit?
Immigration solicitor Anne Morris and barrister Patrick Lewis ask how UK immigration reform and a no deal Brexit will be achievable when the Home Office and immigration courts are already struggling under the current status quo
Guest blog: Legal blogging pilot - how you can get involved
Transparency Project blogs for the Bar Council on how a new pilot is taking place which will allow lawyers to attend court “for journalistic, research or public legal educational purposes”.
Guest blog: The Not-so Secret Barrister
"The reason I want to be a barrister is this: the feeling of being able to guide people through what will probably be the highest highs of their lives, or their lowest lows"
Guest blog: Improving the way barristers get paid in civil and family cases
The Legal Aid Agency’s (LAA) Antony Leal guest blogs for BarTalk on the progress made in key meetings between the LAA, the Bar Council and Family Law Bar Association
The Bar 'what' fee?
What's in a name? Commercial Director Dr Isabel DiVanna is looking for a new, more appropriate name for the Bar Representation Fee (BRF)
Red Lion Chambers & #IAmTheBar 'open doors' to the Bar
Highlights from the first of an innovative approach to making the profession more socially mobile
Strengthening the Bar through research
New approach to gaining insights to the Bar
Guest blog: Susan Acland-Hood, Chief Executive of HMCTS
Susan Acland-Hood, Chief Executive of HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) on working with the Bar Council on improving court security and easier access for legal professionals
Guest blog: New transparency rules imminent
Andrew Granville Stafford, Chair of the Direct Access Panel blogs on the new BSB rules aiming to improve transparency in the areas of price, service and redress for the benefit of barristers’ clients.
Thank you from the Bar Council
Dr Isabel DiVanna, Commercial Director at the Bar Council explains why the support barristers have pledged to the Bar Council is so important.
Guest blog: From words to action: diversity at the Bar
Radcliffe Chambers barrister Kate Selway tells us about a new chambers diversity initiative which she helped to develop and which recently won “Bar diversity and inclusion initiative of the year” at this year’s Diversity Legal Awards.
Guest blog: New Domestic Abuse Bill fails to protect migrants
J.S. von Dacre of the Immigration Advice Service guest blogs for the Bar Council on the government’s new Domestic Abuse Bill and gives an analysis of the protections the Bill provides for refugee and migrant victims of domestic abuse.
Guest blog: Julia Lowis on human rights in Colombia
An international delegation of lawyers led by the Colombia Caravana (UK), coordinated with the Bar Human Rights Committee (England & Wales) and the Faculty of Advocates' Human Rights and Rule of Law Committee (Scotland), supported by the Alliance for Lawyers at Risk, is in Colombia this week to observe final hearings in the case 'Los Doce Apostoles'. The victim's family are represented by Daniel Prado Albarracin, a Colombian human rights lawyer who has represented families of enforced disappearance since the early 1990s.
What does the Bar Council do for you? FAQs
Carolyn Entwistle, the Bar Council's Head of Services to the Bar, answers questions about the work of the Bar Council
Barristers look to run London
Barrister and social mobility advocate James Keeley and four other Middle Templers are running London
Employment spotlight: New Quay HR
New Quay HR highlight what barristers’ chambers need to watch out for in 2019
20 chambers sign up to new-look Ambassadors scheme
Get your chambers’ views heard by the Bar Council
Guest blog: Breaking down barriers to the Bar
Law Fairs: a guest blog by Rose Malleson, Policy Assistant, Bar Council
Guest blog: Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, Shadow Minister for Security & Solicitor General
Legal professional privilege at our borders
IT Panel blog: The players on the data protection stage
GDPR blog: Chapter One
Bar Representation Fee (BRF): Are you renewing your BRF in 2019?
We want to know what we can do to encourage you to keep supporting our work for years to come, says Dr Isabel DiVanna, the Bar Council’s Commercial Director.
Guest blog: Lucy Frazer QC MP, Justice Minister
Thoughts on the 100th year of women in law
Three levers to pull in 2019
Sam Mercer, the Bar Council’s Head of Equality & Diversity and CSR, sets out three initiatives the Bar Council will be focusing on in 2019 to support the profession in becoming a more diverse Bar in the future.
Five minutes with...Athena Markides, 2019 Chair of the Young Barristers' Committee
Athena Markides, Chair of the Young Barristers' Committee of the Bar Council, answers 5 questions on her thoughts around women at the Bar and her own professional icon.
Chair & Vice Chair of the Bar: The Next 100 Years
In their first blog as new leaders of the Bar, Chair of the Bar Richard Atkins QC and Vice Chair Amanda Pinto QC jointly launch the 100th edition of BarTalk and explain why the centenary – and gender equality – matters to the whole Bar.
Guest blog: Postcard from Australia - Kate Eastman SC
Australian perspectives of the first 100 years
Five minutes with...Dana Denis-Smith, Founder, First 100 Years
Five minutes with Dana Denis-Smith, Founder of the First 100 Years Project
A global mission: Championing women in the fight for human rights
Dominic Boothroyd of the Bar Human Rights Committee shares a summary of BHRC's session, of which Baroness Helena Kennedy QC was a panel member, at the 2018 Annual Bar & Young Bar Conference.
Rebecca Richardson, Barrister at the NMC
Employed Bar blog article
Jamie Hunt, Barrister at ACCA
Employed Bar blog article
Rachel Culverhouse-Wilson, Pupil barrister at the NMC
Employed Bar blog article
IT Panel blog: An introduction to an introduction. The latest play in the data protection series
The Bar Council's IT Panel revists GDPR
IT Panel blog: Data protection: The introduction.
IT Panel blog: GDPR for the Bar (revisited): Data protection, the introduction
Guest blog: What the extra £15m for our courts will be invested in
Susan Acland-Hood, Chief Executive, HM Courts & Tribunals Service, guest blogs for the Bar Council on why the £15m extra investment from the Treasury is so essential for improving the conditions in court buildings.
International Human Rights Day: Alex Haines
70 years ago today, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The principles enshrined in the Declaration are as relevant today as there were in 1948, and the Bar Council will continue to voice its concerns and advocate on behalf of lawyers whose human rights are in peril.
Guest blog: Lucy Frazer QC MP, Justice Minister
Testing early and late sittings in civil and family courts
Guest blog: To our members, we are the fourth emergency service
Cathryn McGahey QC, Vice Chair of the Bar Council Ethics Committee and member of Temple Garden Chambers, on the importance of the Ethical Enquiries Service
Justice Week blog: Westminster Hall debate
Timed to coincide with Justice Week, MPs considered the future of legal aid in a Westminster Hall debate, led by barrister Andy Slaughter MP on Thursday. This was a better and more informed examination of legal funding than many previous debates: a welcome move beyond the usual party knockabout.
Justice Week blog: Round-up of Bar Council events
Monday night of Justice Week kicked off with a panel of journalists, PR and comms professionals tasked with explaining to the legal sector how its campaigning on justice issues could be improved. “A little less Latin, a little more real-world outcomes” was the assessment from 38 Degrees Campaign Director Laura Townshend.
Justice Week blog: Why do 'Justice Week'?
If you were wondering why and how Justice Week came about, this short blog by Sam Mercer, who is one of the organisers, explains the origins and thinking behind this new initiative.
Justice Week blog: Repossession and access to justice
Clare Anslow and Morayo Fagborun Bennett, Property Bar Association
Justice Week blog: What next for leaseholders?
Cecily Crampin, Property Bar Association member
Justice Week blog: Property fraud
Henry Webb, Treasurer, Property Bar Association
Justice Week blog: Justice and Grenfell
Guest blog: Simon Allison, Secretary of the Property Bar Association
Justice Week blog: Law Reform, the Broken Partnership
Joanne Wicks QC, Chair of the Property Bar Association
To pay or not to pay?
The Bar Representation Fee (BRF) and the Bar
Guest blog: Black History Month at the Bar: “We have miles and miles to go”
Barrister Desiree Artesi looks at whether the Bar has much to celebrate in Black History Month and what barristers can do to make a difference from today.
Political lobbying and the Bar Representation Fee (BRF) – have you paid?
Dr Isabel DiVanna, Commercial Director at the Bar Council explains how the organisation funds its lobbying work?
Guest blog: Why get Public Access Accredited with the Bar Council?
Why get Public Access Accredited with the Bar Council?
Guest blog: All FRU needs is love
David Abbott, Chief Executive of the Free Representation Unit (FRU) explains why the work of the Unit is vital for access to justice and the Bar.
Guest blog: Have legal directories changed and do they meet the needs of the Bar?
With the directories season looming, MD Communications looks at whether today’s directories are keeping up with the changing legal sector, and what chambers can do to meet the developing landscape.
Guest blog: Another blow to the Ministry of Justice on legal aid
Anthony Speaight QC of 4 Pump Court blogs on the latest case against the Ministry of Justice which went against the department, this time in relation to Very High Cost Cases.
Changing the image of the Bar
KCL Bar & Mooting Society’s Diversity Series
What has the Bar Council ever done for me?
Represent, promote, support
Social mobility in practice: Bar Placement Scheme testimonial
As part of the Bar Placement Scheme, Aisha Warsame spent three and a half days at a large commercial set of chambers, 4 New Square, shadowing barrister Stephen Innes. These are her thoughts on the experience, together with a Q&A that she conducted with Stephen.
Representing the Representatives: The Young Barristers’ Committee and the Bar Council
Guest blog from the Bar Council's Young Barristers' Committee
Young Barristers' Committee blog: The 21st Century Advocate
Highlights of what to expect at this years' Young Bar Annual Workshop 2018.
Guest blog: Show me the money
Ramona Derbyshire and Amanda Richardson of Thrings LLP look at whether the introduction of the Bar Council's standard contractual terms of business was a good thing.
Guest blog: Are you ready for the electric revolution?
Vehicle finance specialists Mann Island looks at how the Diesel era is over and the electric car revolution is the future.
IT Panel blog: GDPR Chapter 10 - Epilogue
The Bar Council IT Panel's latest GDPR blog
Guest blog: Why the Bar Council Ethical Enquiries Service must continue
Susan Grocott QC of the Bar Council’s Ethics Committee and barrister at blogs on why the Bar Council’s Ethical Enquiries Service is so essential and must continue in order to support barristers in practice.
IT Panel blog: May – the month, not the politician - is almost upon us
IT Panel GDPR blog: Chapter 9
Guest blog: Orlagh Kelly - Data breach
Over the five years of working with barristers and chambers on all aspects of data protection and the GDPR, one of the most frequently asked questions is “what is a breach?” This is usually followed by a suggested scenario, a strictly hypothetical one of course! Most seem shocked by the extent of what constitutes a data breach so it may be useful to explore this further here.
Guest blog: Indefinite detention and the Yarl's Wood hunger strike
As pressure is building from NGOs and opposition parties for a time-limit on detention, Alison Harvey, immigration barrister at No5 Chambers, gives her analysis of the latest developments in policy and practice.
Guest blog: Prime Minister’s Brexit Speech: Analysis by the Bar
Brexit Working Group Members Philip Moser QC and Evanna Fruithof analyse the Prime Minister's recent Brexit speech from the Bar's perspective
Guest blog: Lord Dyson - Justice: Continuity and change
Former Master of the Rolls, Lord Dyson, guest blogs for the Bar Council on the range of topics covered in his new book Justice: Continuity and Change, a selection of the many lectures and speeches he gave during his career as a judge.
IT Panel blog: What happens when it all goes wrong - The Melodrama Part 2
The Bar Council IT Panel's latest GDPR blog
Guest blog: Defence practitioner awareness days on common platform reviewed
Leanne Galbraith, Duty Solicitor and Legal Aid Agency (LAA) Digital Champion, gives an update to criminal practitioners on the Common Platform following recent Defence Practitioner Awareness Days.
Guest blog: An invisible Mandela – reflecting on Sir Henry Brooke
Barrister Mark Cunningham QC of Maitland Chambers reflects on the late Sir Henry Brooke, his commitment to the rule of law and his role as the founding President of the Alliance for Lawyers at Risk.
Guest blog: Will Brexit jeopardise the rule of law & human rights
Attorney-General The Rt Hon. Jeremy Wright QC MP answers the question that has been the subject of much contention as Brexit draws ever closer, and explains how it affects the very fabric of British society.
Guest blog: No gender equality without the rule of law
Barrister Baroness Chakrabarti, CBE, guest blogs for the Bar Council, seeking answers from the legal world and giving her view on how to address the vast issue of gender equality and protect the rule of law from "enemies of the people cynicism".
Ask Anything: Kirsty Brimelow QC
Chair of the Bar Human Rights Committee (BHRC) answers five key questions from a personal and professional perspective on her involvement with the BHRC.
Guest blog: FGM - Making the law work
Barrister and Bar Human Rights Committee (BHRC) member, Zimran Samuel of Doughty Street Chambers, guest blogs on the strides made by the BHRC in addressing and protecting against the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
Guest blog: Human rights are not only for human rights lawyers
Amanda Pinto QC, Chair of the Bar Council’s International Committee, explains why practice area plays no part in the need for the Bar's voice to speak up as one for the rule of law and rights injustices globally.
Guest blog: Suffering and lawyering
Payam Akhavan LLM SJD, Professor of International Law at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and a Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, explains to the Bar Council how his exile from Iran as a child led to a lifelong search for justice through a career acting as the first Legal Advisor to the Prosecutor's Office of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia at The Hague, serving with the UN in Rwanda, Cambodia, Guatemala, and Timor Leste and appearing as counsel before international law courts worldwide.
IT Panel blog: What happens when it all goes wrong?
GDPR: The Melodrama Part 1
Guest blog: Orlagh Kelly - GDPR blog
Consumers are ready to exercise rights under GDPR
Guest blog: Brexit and Beyond Brexit – Challenges for the Legal Profession
Hugh Mercer QC, Chair of the Bar Council Brexit Working Group
Guest blog: Are social mobility initiatives at the Bar working?
Janet Bazley QC, Joint Head of Chambers at 1 GC Family Law, and Lewis, an aspiring barrister, explain how one particular social mobility initiative has paid off more than expected.
Practising Certificate Fee (PCF) versus Bar Representation Fee (BRF)
A message from the Bar Council's Commercial Director