Counsel Magazine

It’s been five years since the groundbreaking QC competition in which six Black women barristers, including the 2025 Chair of the Bar, took silk. Yet today, the number of Black KCs remains ‘critically low’. Desirée Artesi talks to Baroness Scotland KC, Allison Munroe KC and Melanie Simpson KC about the critical success factors, barriers and ideas for embedding change

In the final part of a series celebrating the Bar Pro Bono Award winners, Ramby de Mello and Doughty Street Chambers share the stories behind their awards

Called back to her original vocation, Emma Dixon is now a non-religious healthcare chaplain at Royal Cornwall Hospital. Here are her lessons learnt

Why we do pro bono – in the second part of a series celebrating the 2025 Bar Pro Bono Award winners, Jesse Crozier and Siobhan Samuel share the stories behind their awards

Belonging at the Bar, even if the buildings indicate otherwise – Daniel Holt shares his lessons learnt accessing this ‘beautiful, traditional but often exclusionary’ profession

Despite increased awareness, why are AI hallucinations continuing to infiltrate court cases at an alarming rate? Matthew Lee investigates

Neither magic wand nor existential threat, AI is a tool. And like any tool, its impact depends entirely on how we learn to wield it, says Paul Schwartfeger

Hayley Parkes, Amy Hemsley, Julius Klutse, Amy Weir and Katrin Harter with advice for this year’s pupillage cohort

Worried about doing it all ‘wrong’? Mantras to keep in mind while developing your advocacy skills. By Nora Nanayakkara

Don’t start your time in Chambers as a cyber risk! Sam Thomas flags the online vulnerabilities of working at the Bar and offers security tips

Baroness Harriet Harman KC calls for an end to collusive bystanding and makes radical proposals to reset the system and change the culture

Many disabled barristers face entrenched obstacles to KC appointment – both procedural and systemic, writes Diego F Soto-Miranda

Brie Stevens-Hoare KC looks at the range of initiatives aiming to increase diversity in judicial appointments. What’s making the difference? What more needs to be done?

The proscribing of Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act is an assault on the English language and on civil liberties, argues Paul Harris SC, founder of the Bar Human Rights Committee

What can we as individual barristers, and as members of chambers, do to prevent, protect and prosecute VAWG? It is beyond urgent that we answer this question resoundingly and effectively, writes Celestine Greenwood

Suzie Miller’s latest play puts the legal system centre stage once more. Will it galvanise change? asks Rehna Azim

Review by Daniel Barnett

Al Pacino desperately seeks punishment for the guilty and justice for the innocent. Review by David Langwallner

Old memories return. By William Byfield

For restorative retro viewing, Rehna Azim recommends a boxset of Ally McBeal  – a series ahead of its time in many ways

Fiona Butler offers some tips and advice on how to make the move in-house and what to expect – for both aspiring barristers and established practitioners contemplating a new chapter

One year on, Nardeen Némat reflects on the violent disorder in Merseyside following the Southport knife attacks and the collaboration between police, courts and Crown Prosecution Service in bringing a swift end to the riots

Nicholas Khan KC, the only lawyer to have taken silk while working in a European Union institution, discusses his fascinating professional life beyond the Inns of Court – in the Legal Service of the European Commission 

Mike Jones KC, the first Senior Crown advocate from Wales to take silk, talks about his career pathway, the ‘one Bar’ philosophy and what the future holds

Trying new approaches to tackle unfairness in opportunities, James Peters and Sinead Murray discuss recent Ofgem initiatives

Senior barristers reflect on the progress made since the publication of Race at the Bar: A Snapshot Report  in 2021, as well as the persistent challenges and cultural shifts still needed. Interviews by Mariam Diaby 

From a traumatic formative education to exceptional criminal silk – Laurie-Anne Power KC talks about her path to the Bar, pursuit of equality and speaking out against discrimination (not just during Black History Month)

Following the Lincoln’s Inn EDI Forum in Leeds, Glenn Parsons considers the tools required to increase diversity at the Bar – now and in the future

Championing underrepresented talent, 10K Black Interns 2024 is open for applications. Mentee Tendai Chiguvare and mentor Anna Walsh share their experience of the summer internship scheme at the Bar 

Bibi Badejo reports from a packed Inns of Court Women’s Alliance event examining the experiences of Black women barristers and imparting crucial advice for Black women navigating the legal profession 

Despite increased awareness, why are AI hallucinations continuing to infiltrate court cases at an alarming rate? Matthew Lee investigates

Neither magic wand nor existential threat, AI is a tool. And like any tool, its impact depends entirely on how we learn to wield it, says Paul Schwartfeger

Don’t start your time in Chambers as a cyber risk! Sam Thomas flags the online vulnerabilities of working at the Bar and offers security tips

How will the EU AI Act, in full force from August 2026, affect barristers in the UK? If advising EU-linked clients or handling cross-border disputes you must grasp its risk-based approach, says Bamdad Shams

Camilo Artiga-Purcell highlights the dangerous use of unapproved AI tools

The mentoring scheme for underrepresented applicants to the Commercial Bar – apply by the extended deadline of Friday 18 October 2024 for the 2024-25 cycle 

The Bar Council crunches the data to tell the real story of who gets pupillage... and when 

Newly minted Bar graduates compete at a ratio of 300:1 for a golden ticket to Wonka’s Criminal Justice Factory. The Secret Barrister explains why…

The Bar Standards Board on what you need to know about training to become a barrister in England and Wales

Laurence Cooper explores the high-stakes world of choosing a Bar training course provider