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I am delighted that the 20th London Legal Walk had a record-breaking 18,000 participants and raised over £1 million for the first time for the London Legal Support Trust which helps legal charities such as Advocate and FRU (Free Representation Unit). The Bar v Bench race was a great success, the Bar team beating the Bench team overall (even if the individual race was won by Mr Justice Constable…) and I hope this will become a regular fixture. Thank you and well done to all the walkers and runners who took part.
The swearing in of the principal legal ministers is always a special occasion and this July I was honoured to deliver an address on behalf of the Bar, welcoming the new Lord Chancellor, Attorney General and Solicitor General. It was heartening to see all the justice ministers in attendance, as well as new ministers from other departments, most of the senior judiciary, numerous legal professionals and many proud friends and family.
In my address I recognised the occasion as one of historic firsts – the first Lady Chief Justice hearing the swearing in of the first female lawyer, first Muslim and first former employed barrister, Shabana Mahmood MP, as Lord Chancellor. I noted the Lord Chancellor’s role as ‘chief custodian of our system of law and justice with the responsibility for the effective functioning and independence of the courts of England and Wales’. The rule of law was rightly given pride of place at the ceremony.
Our moral authority on the international stage, our ability to persuade other nations and our soft power are all underpinned by respect for human rights and the rule of law. The strength of the international reputation of the English and Welsh Bar should not be understated. There are around 3,000 barristers in England and Wales carrying out international legal work. There is more that can be done to further develop the potential we have at the Bar to expand and attract more overseas legal business and legal work to England and Wales.
As part of the Bar Council’s international outreach, a delegation will be attending the American Bar Association annual meeting in Chicago this month. The intention is to reinforce and extend our ties with our sister organisation. I’ll be taking part in a comparative law seminar about expert evidence with Chicago lawyers, Gerard McDermott KC who is a member of the Bar Council's North American Sub-Committee and Amrit Kaur Dhanoa, Chair of the Young Barristers’ Committee.
I will continue to press for investment in our domestic justice system, overstretched publicly funded Bar and court estate. The country’s reputation abroad and our success in exporting excellent legal services, led by the Bar, is tied to the health of our justice system at home, both in terms of the adequacy of resourcing and adherence to the rule of law. Once the immediate prisons crisis is addressed, I will be calling upon the new government to address the grave situation in the justice system.
In early September, we will be looking for candidates to stand for election to represent colleagues on the Bar Council. By offering to volunteer to steer the Bar Council’s work it will help make the Bar an even better profession than it already is. Please consider offering your time and expertise to help the entire profession.
The annual International Bar Association (IBA) Conference takes place from Sunday 15 to Friday 20 September in Mexico City. The event is open to all legal professionals and offers a unique opportunity to discuss the latest issues facing the legal profession and build valuable international connections.
As part of the IBA Conference, the Bar Council has organised a drinks reception and I will be speaking on a panel in the Forum for Barristers and Advocates. Both events take place on Tuesday 17 September. If you are going to the IBA Conference 2024 please join us.
In October we will be celebrating employed barristers at the Employed Bar Awards and partnering with Gray’s Inn once again to host the awards alongside their Employed Bar Dinner on Thursday 10 October.
Looking ahead, we are preparing for a busy autumn, but before all of that, I hope you will be able to take some proper time off work to rest and recuperate over the summer. It’s been an unrelenting year so far and this will, no doubt, continue next term. I hope that you can enjoy even a short break!
Sam Townend KC is Chair of the Bar 2024. Sam is a silk at Keating Chambers and practises in domestic and international construction, energy and professional negligence work. He is a mediator and adjudicator, and a Bencher at Lincoln's Inn.
I am delighted that the 20th London Legal Walk had a record-breaking 18,000 participants and raised over £1 million for the first time for the London Legal Support Trust which helps legal charities such as Advocate and FRU (Free Representation Unit). The Bar v Bench race was a great success, the Bar team beating the Bench team overall (even if the individual race was won by Mr Justice Constable…) and I hope this will become a regular fixture. Thank you and well done to all the walkers and runners who took part.
The swearing in of the principal legal ministers is always a special occasion and this July I was honoured to deliver an address on behalf of the Bar, welcoming the new Lord Chancellor, Attorney General and Solicitor General. It was heartening to see all the justice ministers in attendance, as well as new ministers from other departments, most of the senior judiciary, numerous legal professionals and many proud friends and family.
In my address I recognised the occasion as one of historic firsts – the first Lady Chief Justice hearing the swearing in of the first female lawyer, first Muslim and first former employed barrister, Shabana Mahmood MP, as Lord Chancellor. I noted the Lord Chancellor’s role as ‘chief custodian of our system of law and justice with the responsibility for the effective functioning and independence of the courts of England and Wales’. The rule of law was rightly given pride of place at the ceremony.
Our moral authority on the international stage, our ability to persuade other nations and our soft power are all underpinned by respect for human rights and the rule of law. The strength of the international reputation of the English and Welsh Bar should not be understated. There are around 3,000 barristers in England and Wales carrying out international legal work. There is more that can be done to further develop the potential we have at the Bar to expand and attract more overseas legal business and legal work to England and Wales.
As part of the Bar Council’s international outreach, a delegation will be attending the American Bar Association annual meeting in Chicago this month. The intention is to reinforce and extend our ties with our sister organisation. I’ll be taking part in a comparative law seminar about expert evidence with Chicago lawyers, Gerard McDermott KC who is a member of the Bar Council's North American Sub-Committee and Amrit Kaur Dhanoa, Chair of the Young Barristers’ Committee.
I will continue to press for investment in our domestic justice system, overstretched publicly funded Bar and court estate. The country’s reputation abroad and our success in exporting excellent legal services, led by the Bar, is tied to the health of our justice system at home, both in terms of the adequacy of resourcing and adherence to the rule of law. Once the immediate prisons crisis is addressed, I will be calling upon the new government to address the grave situation in the justice system.
In early September, we will be looking for candidates to stand for election to represent colleagues on the Bar Council. By offering to volunteer to steer the Bar Council’s work it will help make the Bar an even better profession than it already is. Please consider offering your time and expertise to help the entire profession.
The annual International Bar Association (IBA) Conference takes place from Sunday 15 to Friday 20 September in Mexico City. The event is open to all legal professionals and offers a unique opportunity to discuss the latest issues facing the legal profession and build valuable international connections.
As part of the IBA Conference, the Bar Council has organised a drinks reception and I will be speaking on a panel in the Forum for Barristers and Advocates. Both events take place on Tuesday 17 September. If you are going to the IBA Conference 2024 please join us.
In October we will be celebrating employed barristers at the Employed Bar Awards and partnering with Gray’s Inn once again to host the awards alongside their Employed Bar Dinner on Thursday 10 October.
Looking ahead, we are preparing for a busy autumn, but before all of that, I hope you will be able to take some proper time off work to rest and recuperate over the summer. It’s been an unrelenting year so far and this will, no doubt, continue next term. I hope that you can enjoy even a short break!
The beginning of the legal year offers the opportunity for a renewed commitment to justice and the rule of law both at home and abroad
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A centre of excellence for youth justice, the Youth Justice Legal Centre provides specialist training, an advice line and a membership programme
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Joanna Hardy-Susskind speaks to those walking away from the criminal Bar
Tom Cosgrove KC looks at the government’s radical planning reform and the opportunities and challenges ahead for practitioners
From a traumatic formative education to exceptional criminal silk – Laurie-Anne Power KC talks about her path to the Bar, pursuit of equality and speaking out against discrimination (not just during Black History Month)
James Onalaja concludes his two-part opinion series
Yasmin Ilhan explains the Law Commission’s proposals for a quicker, easier and more effective contempt of court regime
