Jury finds London barrister guilty of raping Tinder date in 2017 September 15, 2022 A London barrister who forced himself on his Tinder date has been jailed for four years for rape. Robin Jacobs, 39, reacted angrily and shouted from the dock “I didn’t do it” after he was found guilty following a retrial at the Old Bailey on Thursday. The court heard how Jacobs told the woman to [...]
Barristers’ watchdog seeks to bolster staff following surge in social media-related misconduct December 7, 2022 The barristers’ regulator is seeking to bolster its enforcement teams to deal with a surge in misconduct cases involving social media. The Bar Standards Board (BSB) is aiming to recruit a “small number” of new staff to work on its 18 strong enforcement team following an uptick in complaints against barristers, a BSB spokesperson told [...]
Criminal barristers vote to strike over legal aid June 20, 2022 Criminal barristers yesterday voted in favour of plans to strike against the government, following a long-running dispute over legal aid fees. Barristers who work in criminal law are set to stage a series of court walkouts, after 81.5 per cent of the 2,055 barristers who voted in the Criminal Bar Association’s ballot came out in support of [...]
Explainer-in-brief: After summer of strikes, barristers wig up once more October 11, 2022 In April this year, barristers took the almost unprecedented decision to strike. In September, that was ramped up to be an uninterrupted, rolling strike over pay. Yesterday, they put their wigs back on after the government offered a 15 per cent pay rise.
Criminal Barristers strike rolls into fourth week with no end in sight July 18, 2022 Criminal barristers today convened at the Palace of Westminster to mark the start of the fourth week of their strike action over legal aid fees. Striking barristers gathered inside the home of the UK’s parliament demanding to see their local MPs, as they continued to call for an immediate 25 per cent increase in the [...]
Criminal Bar Association opens ballot on plans to escalate barristers’ strike August 9, 2022 CRIMINAL barristers are set to vote on plans to intensify their ongoing strikes by running uninterrupted strikes indefinitely. The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) will ballot its members over plans to call off its current bi-weekly strike actions and run a continuous strike from 5 September onwards. “It has become clear that a significant proportion [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Behind the low-pay complaints from barristers June 28, 2022 Once considered to be the hallmark of a lucrative career, now even the lawyers are striking. Well, only some of them. Yesterday marked the first day of four-week long strikes undertaken by criminal barristers over legal aid fees. They’re calling for a 25 per cent pay rise, and have been offered 15 per cent. Some [...]
New justice secretary Brandon Lewis faces calls to ‘open negotiations’ with barristers September 7, 2022 Former secretary of state for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis is set to succeed Dominic Raab as the UK’s new justice secretary. The 51-year-old MP for Great Yarmouth is set to face immediate pressure from striking barristers following calls from the chair of the Criminal Bar Association for “substantial positive movement” from the government. The appointment [...]
London solicitors’ body calls on members to join barristers’ strike June 21, 2022 The London criminal solicitors’ trade body has called on its members to back the barristers strike, after criminal barristers voted in favour of plans to stage series of court walkouts, starting from next week. The London Criminal Courts Solicitors’ Association (LCCSA) called on its members to support the barristers strike by joining their colleagues in [...]
Criminal barristers vote to end strike, but warns justice system ‘remains chronically underfunded’ October 10, 2022 Criminal barristers in England and Wales have voted to end their strike action over pay today after the government tabled a 15 per cent pay rise.