Legal Profession

It’s just not fair. Not fair at all. One minute, the policy is that it’d be wrong to have cameras in our courts and the next it appears to have changed but only for the likes of the Court of Appeal. I can’t believe that I spent years appearing in the Court of Appeal and… Continue reading

“All we are is glorified car mechanics,” said UpTights at Chambers tea today. “Just fixing minor errors caused by solicitors.” “Except not so glorified,” said TheBusker. “Yes, I doubt there’d be many mechanics who’d be pleased with the comparison,” said HeadofChambers. “What’s the problem?” asked OldSmoothie. “Not had any trials of late?” “I should be… Continue reading

National Pro Bono Week and the Bar Conference 2013 At a time when public funding is being cut to the bone, the Bar is already going further and working pro bono. But is it right for the government – with all David Cameron’s talk of the Big Society stepping in where public spending fears to… Continue reading

Within only a few weeks of starting his pupillage, one of the pupils has already garnered quite a reputation as a show-off. Not a show-off in a theatrical, maybe kind of charming but just a bit too much energy sort of a way either. More of a show-off in an insecure, in your face and… Continue reading

Over the summer, following a period of sometimes stormy consultation with interested parties, the Bar Standards Board published the first edition of its QASA Handbook. In a series of earlier posts, this blog has examined the background, aims and components of the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates. See: Questions about QASA QASA in practice: doing… Continue reading

In his latest posting, His Honour Judge Pennyweather ruminates on the mysterious allure of anonymous tweeting for members of the judiciary. Sponsored post from the BabyBarista blog.… Continue reading

UpTights was a bundle of energy at chambers tea yesterday. “I had the most terrible experience on my way to court,” she said. “What? Your witch’s broomstick came unstuck?” said OldSmoothie. “I was dashing for the start of a trial over the road when a seagull landed one on me from a great height. Not… Continue reading

Like legal regulation, civil litigation is peppered with acronyms and abbreviations, which it can sometimes be hard to keep up with.To make life easier, they have all been set out in a glossary, below, to which we will link in future postings where relevant. ADR Alternative Dispute Resolution CFA Conditional Fee Agreement DBA Damages Based… Continue reading

This year has seen the government mount a two-pronged attack aimed at reducing the cost of legal aid, by introducing measures to reduce spending on both criminal and civil legal aid. Last week, following a heated summer of discontent from the legal profession, its proposals in relation to criminal legal aid, based on the introduction… Continue reading

At the end of last month the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates got the go-ahead from Legal Standards Board, the über-regulator of law professions. In a series of posts we’ve looked at what this means for barristers and other professional advocates. In this third post we look at some of the main criticisms levelled at… Continue reading