Chair's Column

The Bar Council is preparing for what the future might look like outside the European Union, under a new Prime Minister and a new Lord Chancellor, writes the Chairman
 

Whether we find ourselves in or out of the EU, securing the survival of a functioning justice system remains a key 2016 challenge
 

The Bar has made progress towards becoming a profession ‘of all and for all’, but real challenges remain, writes the Chairman
 

The Chairman warns of the dangers posed to legal professional privilege by the Investigatory Powers Bill
 

We are stronger when we work together: we want to hear from our members first hand and increase awareness of what we do to represent your best interests, writes the Chairman
 

Don’t think international work is relevant to your practice? Read on: barristers are increasingly doing international work at all levels of seniority, from most practice areas, and across the regions
 

The Pupillage Gateway recruitment window will be brought forwards from April to January next year, enabling students to secure pupillage before committing to the expensive BPTC course; and Bar Council plans to work with chambers to create a recruitment ‘gold standard’.
 

Examining the profession, how it adapts to survive; and the vital role of the Bar Council  

As 2015 draws to a close, reflections on the past year as Chairman of the Bar  

This is my last Chairman’s column for Counsel  and I thought that I would set out a few thoughts and reflections which have occurred to me over the course of the past year. 

Reflecting upon the changing business practices of the profession, the resulting fragility of chambers’ structures, and the need for all chambers to ensure proper dissolution arrangements are in place  

In recent months, a highly-regarded set of commercial and chancery chambers has felt it necessary to enter a voluntary dissolution.