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National Storytelling Week, 2-8 February, celebrates how spoken stories connect and shape us. The United Nations International Day of Human Fraternity, on 4 February, promotes respect across difference. They are a timely backdrop to the Bar Council’s opposition to reducing jury trials.
In the Crown Court, barristers tell a human story that a jury can understand, test and judge against their individual life experience, within a legal framework.
A jury trial is a constitutional principle, not a procedural convenience.
On 20 January, I chaired a session on the government’s jury trial proposals in a committee room in Parliament. The Bar Council, Criminal Bar Association (CBA) and Circuit Leaders worked collaboratively. It was attended by over 30 MPs and peers. One MP spoke of her personal experience of being before a jury and how she had felt seen and understood by a jury. Her story highlighted the importance of trust in the criminal justice system. Successive studies have shown that juries are the only part of the criminal justice system that delivers equitable results, irrespective of ethnicity.
I also gave evidence on juries at the Justice Select Committee (JSC) session on criminal court reforms. The Institute for Government statistics tell their own tale. If Sir Brian Leveson’s estimate that judge-only trials will be 20% quicker is correct, it will mean it will save less than 2% of court time. The conclusion is clear that the government should not pursue reducing jury trials but should start with the other recommendations.
I took part in a debate with Sir Brian Leveson, Sir Max Hill KC and Claire Waxman OBE, chaired by Clive Coleman. Remedies for reducing the backlog include the Crown Prosecution Service taking cases out of the backlog and listing in courts for resolution, as happened during COVID and more recently in Woolwich and Liverpool Crown Courts; sorting out a contract that ensures delivery of defendants into the dock on time; opening up the empty courts; and retaining barristers through a quick implementation of the ‘up to £34 million’ pledged by government. The Bar Council also suggested that further offences are made summary only. The benefit of a judge providing written reason was addressed. Judges won’t have time to reason much beyond the route to verdict followed by juries.
On 30 January, we offered MPs an opportunity to resist the rabbit hole of a ‘Swift Court’ and speak to barristers in the courts. This was a successful interaction between law and politics across the country. Thank you to Circuit Leaders and to the CBA. On 3 February we took barristers back to Parliament to meet MPs and peers and gave them further facts.
The median time from receipt at Crown Court to completion for all rape cases in the third quarter (Q3) of 2025 was 365 days and for adult rape cases was 338 days. This is lower than it was in Q3 2024. Substantial delays are at the pre-court stage.
There is no doubt that the criminal justice system is in crisis. However, juries are not the cause and their reduction will not reduce delays to rape cases.
The media is performing a key role and I have appeared on programmes from BBC Radio 4’s Today to German television. There has been speculation in the press about a u-turn. I would prefer to describe such a move as stopping before running over juries. The Bar Council is ready to support a turn to the efficiencies that will make a difference.
I gave evidence to the JSC on access to justice and legal aid alongside Richard Miller (Law Society) and Rohini Jana (Legal Aid Practitioners Group). I referred to the Review of Civil Legal Aid and the Bar Council System Overload report, emphasising the requirement to increase legal aid in civil and family law, while acknowledging the start of a legal aid increase in immigration and housing.
I went to Brussels for meetings with the EU and EEA Bars and Ambassadors. Supporting juniors to gain work experience in our respective jurisdictions is a focus, together with supporting our dual qualified barristers and strengthening Mutual Recognition Agreements. The need for ratification of the Luxembourg Convention was raised as we moved from the Day of the Endangered Lawyer, observed on 24 January.
The request is to consider paying the Bar Representation Fee (BRF) when you complete the authorisation to practise. The BRF enables us to undertake vital work representing the Bar, provides the ethics helpline which takes some 5,000 enquiries annually, and offers access to many benefits.
The good news is the appointment of Dame Maria Miller as the first Bar Commissioner for Conduct and the appointment of 96 new King’s Counsel. For those who weren’t successful, I didn’t make it on my first application. Onwards!
Updated on 12 February 2026 to correct an error in the statistics previously cited for rape cases.
Kirsty Brimelow KC is Chair of the Bar for 2026. She has been a criminal, public law and international human rights barrister for some 30 years, practising from Doughty Street Chambers for over half that time. Kirsty was Chair of the Criminal Bar Association (2022-23) and Chair of the Bar Human Rights Committee (2012-18). She was appointed as a silk in 2011, Deputy High Court Judge in 2021, Recorder in 2022 and is a Bencher of Gray’s Inn.
National Storytelling Week, 2-8 February, celebrates how spoken stories connect and shape us. The United Nations International Day of Human Fraternity, on 4 February, promotes respect across difference. They are a timely backdrop to the Bar Council’s opposition to reducing jury trials.
In the Crown Court, barristers tell a human story that a jury can understand, test and judge against their individual life experience, within a legal framework.
A jury trial is a constitutional principle, not a procedural convenience.
On 20 January, I chaired a session on the government’s jury trial proposals in a committee room in Parliament. The Bar Council, Criminal Bar Association (CBA) and Circuit Leaders worked collaboratively. It was attended by over 30 MPs and peers. One MP spoke of her personal experience of being before a jury and how she had felt seen and understood by a jury. Her story highlighted the importance of trust in the criminal justice system. Successive studies have shown that juries are the only part of the criminal justice system that delivers equitable results, irrespective of ethnicity.
I also gave evidence on juries at the Justice Select Committee (JSC) session on criminal court reforms. The Institute for Government statistics tell their own tale. If Sir Brian Leveson’s estimate that judge-only trials will be 20% quicker is correct, it will mean it will save less than 2% of court time. The conclusion is clear that the government should not pursue reducing jury trials but should start with the other recommendations.
I took part in a debate with Sir Brian Leveson, Sir Max Hill KC and Claire Waxman OBE, chaired by Clive Coleman. Remedies for reducing the backlog include the Crown Prosecution Service taking cases out of the backlog and listing in courts for resolution, as happened during COVID and more recently in Woolwich and Liverpool Crown Courts; sorting out a contract that ensures delivery of defendants into the dock on time; opening up the empty courts; and retaining barristers through a quick implementation of the ‘up to £34 million’ pledged by government. The Bar Council also suggested that further offences are made summary only. The benefit of a judge providing written reason was addressed. Judges won’t have time to reason much beyond the route to verdict followed by juries.
On 30 January, we offered MPs an opportunity to resist the rabbit hole of a ‘Swift Court’ and speak to barristers in the courts. This was a successful interaction between law and politics across the country. Thank you to Circuit Leaders and to the CBA. On 3 February we took barristers back to Parliament to meet MPs and peers and gave them further facts.
The median time from receipt at Crown Court to completion for all rape cases in the third quarter (Q3) of 2025 was 365 days and for adult rape cases was 338 days. This is lower than it was in Q3 2024. Substantial delays are at the pre-court stage.
There is no doubt that the criminal justice system is in crisis. However, juries are not the cause and their reduction will not reduce delays to rape cases.
The media is performing a key role and I have appeared on programmes from BBC Radio 4’s Today to German television. There has been speculation in the press about a u-turn. I would prefer to describe such a move as stopping before running over juries. The Bar Council is ready to support a turn to the efficiencies that will make a difference.
I gave evidence to the JSC on access to justice and legal aid alongside Richard Miller (Law Society) and Rohini Jana (Legal Aid Practitioners Group). I referred to the Review of Civil Legal Aid and the Bar Council System Overload report, emphasising the requirement to increase legal aid in civil and family law, while acknowledging the start of a legal aid increase in immigration and housing.
I went to Brussels for meetings with the EU and EEA Bars and Ambassadors. Supporting juniors to gain work experience in our respective jurisdictions is a focus, together with supporting our dual qualified barristers and strengthening Mutual Recognition Agreements. The need for ratification of the Luxembourg Convention was raised as we moved from the Day of the Endangered Lawyer, observed on 24 January.
The request is to consider paying the Bar Representation Fee (BRF) when you complete the authorisation to practise. The BRF enables us to undertake vital work representing the Bar, provides the ethics helpline which takes some 5,000 enquiries annually, and offers access to many benefits.
The good news is the appointment of Dame Maria Miller as the first Bar Commissioner for Conduct and the appointment of 96 new King’s Counsel. For those who weren’t successful, I didn’t make it on my first application. Onwards!
Updated on 12 February 2026 to correct an error in the statistics previously cited for rape cases.
The Bar Council is ready to support a turn to the efficiencies that will make a difference
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