Criminal barristers push ahead with strike action over legal aid fees June 27, 2022 Criminal barristers are today set to walk out of courts across England and Wales, after last week voting to strike amid a long-running dispute with the government over legal aid fees. Barristers, who are expected to picket outside of London’s Old Bailey court today, are calling on the government to increase legal aid fees by [...]
Robot laws: First barrister to use AI in Old Bailey murder trial urges government to push forward cutting edge tech February 7, 2023 The first barrister to use an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool in an Old Bailey murder trial has called on the UK’s Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to invest in the cutting edge technology. Sally Hobson, a criminal defence barrister at London chambers The 36 Group, told City A.M. AI tech has the potential to “save huge [...]
Law Society hits out at government as barristers prepare to strike April 10, 2022 The Law Society has hit out at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) after claiming the government’s £135m a year legal aid investments will not be enough to fix the “crisis in the criminal defence profession.” The comments come as barristers are set to go on strike from tomorrow onwards, after the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) [...]
UK Election: Criminal justice system at the point of no return. Where is the outrage? June 24, 2024 The British criminal justice system is nearing collapse, plagued by backlogs, overcrowded prisons, budget cuts, and barrister strikes
MoJ denies telling court staff to hand over names of striking barristers July 4, 2022 The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has denied telling court staff to name striking barristers, after the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) threatened legal action over claims that any such instruction would breach UK data protection laws. An MoJ spokesperson said any claims the Justice Secretary or the MoJ told court staff to report the names of barristers who fail [...]
High Court blocks barrister’s appeal against six-month suspension for making lewd comments to woman on mini-pupillage January 25, 2022 The High Court has rejected an appeal put forward by a criminal barrister from Manchester against a decision to suspend him from practice for six months for making inappropriate comments to a woman he had brought into his office on work experience. Criminal barrister Michael Kearney was suspended from practice for six months, in March [...]
Meet Liz Truss top team: Who is the UK’s new Home Secretary, Brexit barrister Suella Braverman? September 7, 2022 Following yesterday’s Cabinet reshuffle, City A.M. introduces you to some of Liz Truss’s key government ministers. Who are they? What has their journey been so far? Also check out the new Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng and and the UK’s new Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly as well as the new Business Secretary, Jacob Rees-Mogg. A barrister who [...]
Pupil barrister numbers rebound to pre-pandemic levels February 1, 2022 The number of people training to be barristers has bounced back to pre-lockdown levels, following a lull last year due to the pandemic. New figures from the Bar Standards Board (BSB) show that there are 511 people currently undertaking pupillages, compared the 354 people last year. The 44 per cent increase has seen the number [...]
Barrister fined £500 for calling female lawyer ‘hysterical woman’ February 17, 2022 A 66-year-old barrister has been fined £500 after calling a female lawyer an “hysterical woman” at Worthing County Court. London lawyer Feliks Kwiatkowski was fined after he said a witness statement – that had been drafted and signed by a female lawyer – was the work of an “hysterical woman”. After being challenged over his [...]
Barristers’ wigs are an ‘outdated’ symbol of ‘poshness’ top QC says February 16, 2022 One of Britain’s top QCs has said the UK should stop forcing barristers to wear wigs after claiming they are a symbol of “poshness” that have “no place” in the UK’s modern legal system. In an article in Mail+ Leslie Thomas QC, one of the UK’s most high-profile barristers, said wigs have hindered the Bar’s [...]