Counsel Magazine

Governments who play fast and loose with the law get into real trouble, says the new Attorney General. The Rt Hon Lord Hermer KC talks to Anthony Inglese CB about what drew this boy from Cardiff to the Bar, bringing the barrister ethos to the front bench, and how he will be measuring success 

In the Great Hall of the Royal Courts of Justice, 350 women silks celebrated 75 years since Helena Normanton and Rose Heilbron became the first women to take silk in England and Wales. The Bar Council reports 

Looking after ourselves while ensuring we are part of the righting and not the wronging – Max Hardy’s lessons learnt 

And the winner is… the Bar Council introduces the barristers honoured in the 2024 awards celebrating the achievements of the employed Bar 

Joanna Hardy-Susskind speaks to those walking away from the criminal Bar 

Following Glaser v Atay,  careful thought should be given to how direct access fees are expressed  and payment terms are structured  or a court may refuse to enforce them. Iqbal Mohammed distills the judgment into its three crucial points for hard-pressed barristers 

Pitch-perfect in court but not hitting quite the right note with lay clients? Kolarele Sonaike shares some techniques for making yourself understood and your clients feel heard 

Joanna Chatterton and David Murphy consider two critical workplace issues – effective performance management and the new duty to proactively prevent sexual harassment 

Julie Norris provides a reminder of social media pitfalls and suggests what to do if you’ve pressed ‘post’ in the ‘heat of the moment’ 

Psychotherapists have it, social workers have it, CAFCASS officers have it. Why not the Bar? Marc Mason explores the emerging practice of clinical supervision for lawyers 

The winning essay is ‘A fiction of defendant participation: Single Justice Procedure offences should be moved to the civil jurisdiction’ by Hal McNulty 

Caroline Croft explains what drove a group of family lawyers to set up the award-winning FLANC to bring about change for neurodivergent adults, children and families in the family justice system

What works in practice? Dr Tina Pereira and Professor Lucy Henry sought answers from family and criminal judges across the country... 

Are Birmingham’s Intensive Supervision Courts successfully turning women offenders’ lives around? Chloe Ashley talks to District Judge Michelle Smith 

Lawyers Who Care is the world’s first ever legal mentoring organisation for care-experienced people. Co-founders Lucy Barnes and Kate Aubrey-Johnson introduce this bold new social mobility initiative 

Professor Dominic Regan and Seán Jones KC identify good value bottles across the price spectrum – from festive fizz to reliable reds 

Reviews by Daniel Barnett 

Review by David Langwallner 

A bit of fiddling while Rome burns? suggests William Byfield

Detachment or coldness? asks William Byfield 

Heidi Stonecliffe KC, Chair of the Employed Barristers’ Committee for 2024, reflects on her year at the helm and progress made in implementing the Life at the Employed Bar Report 2023 recommendations 

And the winner is… the Bar Council introduces the barristers honoured in the 2024 awards celebrating the achievements of the employed Bar 

David Fardy outlines what to expect, what you will learn, and what you can gain from a pupillage at the employed Bar 

Heidi Stonecliffe KC talks frankly about her route to silk and why, as Chair of the Employed Barristers’ Committee for 2024, she wants to see greater visibility, progression and recognition for employed barristers 

From a CPS pupillage to Director of Legal Services at one of the largest prosecutors in England and Wales – Michael Jennings describes the interesting and varied life an employed barrister in public service can lead 

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 

Ensuring recruitment processes are fair, and free from bias, is essential to drive diversity at the Bar. Bindi Dholakia and Rachel Krys examine the theory and practice 

Julie Ahadi on the shift from theory to implementation, spoils to be had, and converting the trepidatious barrister 

Irresponsible use of AI can lead to serious and embarrassing consequences. Sam Thomas briefs barristers on the five key risks and how to avoid them

As use of AI becomes more widespread at the Bar, reshaping workflows, Andrew Hogan predicts a shift away from time-spent to value-based fees  

How to navigate open source evidence in an era of deepfakes. By Professor Yvonne McDermott Rees and Professor Alexa Koenig 

Alex Goodman KC on why our electoral laws need an urgent upgrade – they were not designed to address the corruption of popular opinion by AI and deepfakes 

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