*/
New Bar Chairman’s inaugural speech
Peter Lodder QC, the new Chairman of the Bar Council, has called on publicly funded barristers to diversify their practices.
The Chairman reassured barristers who do legal aid work that they have a “realistic future”, but urged them to follow the lead of the privately funded Bar and to be “creative and entrepreneurial” in their pursuit of opportunities.
“The message is not that barristers must leave publicly funded work, but that in order to sustain that type of practice, they will almost certainly need to develop a mixed practice, incorporating privately as well as publicly funded work. The cuts to legal aid rates have been too numerous and too deep for young barristers to continue to rely upon publicly funded practice,” he said, in his inaugural speech to the Bar Council.
“Traditionally, barristers, within reason, have turned their hands to different areas of practice. It is the skill set, core values and the training which define us as much as the practice area.”
Last month, the Ministry of Justice restricted legal aid for civil and family matters as part of a £350m cuts package.
Lodder said he supported judicially assessed Quality Assurance for Advocates (“QAA”), and had plans to develop the work of the Advocacy Training Council.
“The message is not that barristers must leave publicly funded work, but that in order to sustain that type of practice, they will almost certainly need to develop a mixed practice, incorporating privately as well as publicly funded work. The cuts to legal aid rates have been too numerous and too deep for young barristers to continue to rely upon publicly funded practice,” he said, in his inaugural speech to the Bar Council.
“Traditionally, barristers, within reason, have turned their hands to different areas of practice. It is the skill set, core values and the training which define us as much as the practice area.”
Last month, the Ministry of Justice restricted legal aid for civil and family matters as part of a £350m cuts package.
Lodder said he supported judicially assessed Quality Assurance for Advocates (“QAA”), and had plans to develop the work of the Advocacy Training Council.
New Bar Chairman’s inaugural speech
Peter Lodder QC, the new Chairman of the Bar Council, has called on publicly funded barristers to diversify their practices.
The Chairman reassured barristers who do legal aid work that they have a “realistic future”, but urged them to follow the lead of the privately funded Bar and to be “creative and entrepreneurial” in their pursuit of opportunities.
Chair of the Bar reflects on 2025
Q&A with criminal barrister Nick Murphy, who moved to New Park Court Chambers on the North Eastern Circuit in search of a better work-life balance
Revolt Cycling in Holborn, London’s first sustainable fitness studio, invites barristers to join the revolution – turning pedal power into clean energy
Rachel Davenport, Co-founder and Director at AlphaBiolabs, reflects on how the company’s Giving Back ethos continues to make a difference to communities across the UK
By Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
AlphaBiolabs has made a £500 donation to Sean’s Place, a men’s mental health charity based in Sefton, as part of its ongoing Giving Back initiative
Professor Dominic Regan and Seán Jones KC present their best buys for this holiday season
Little has changed since Burns v Burns . Cohabiting couples deserve better than to be left on the blasted heath with the existing witch’s brew for another four decades, argues Christopher Stirling
Six months of court observation at the Old Bailey: APPEAL’s Dr Nisha Waller and Tehreem Sultan report their findings on prosecution practices under joint enterprise
Despite its prevalence, autism spectrum disorder remains poorly understood in the criminal justice system. Does Alex Henry’s joint enterprise conviction expose the need to audit prisons? asks Dr Felicity Gerry KC
With automation now deeply embedded in the Department for Work Pensions, Alexander McColl and Alexa Thompson review what we know, what we don’t and avenues for legal challenge
