Chair's Column

On the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta, a review of its literal and spiritual meaning, the undermining of this very meaning and the fight for the future of access to justice  

I am writing today on the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta whose origins lie in the disastrous defeat of King John at the Battle of Bouvines, in Northern France.  

The life of the self-employed barrister; the background to, and results of, the recent Bar Council “Wellbeing Survey”; what was revealed; and the action now needed.  

No-one has ever suggested that life at the Bar is easy.  

Following a successful visit to Brazil, a Bar delegation journeys to Kazakhstan; the importance of international missions; and how the decision to visit countries with poor human rights records is carefully weighed.  

I am set to lead a substantial delegation of the Bar to Kazakhstan at the end of April.  

The need for the Bar to be representative of all of society; Bar placement week; working to ensure that younger members of the Bar are able to earn a living wage; and a call for volunteer chambers for next year’s placement and mentoring schemes.  

Over February half-term, I was delighted to join a group of very talented and enthusiastic students on the final day of the Bar Council’s Leeds and Manchester Bar Placement Week 2015. 

The new way of calculating the practising certificate fee; compulsory and voluntary payments; the provision of core services; and investing together in access to justice.  

It is that time of year again when the Bar Council asks you to pay for the privilege of remaining a barrister for the next 12 months. 

Alistair MacDonald QC on LPP and its historical origins; a client’s right of access to confidential advice; how RIPA overruled this principle of confidentiality; and the need for a robust, statutory framework.  

The issue of legal professional privilege (LPP) has been prominently in the news recently and I wanted to share with you some of the things we have been doing to ensure that proper safeguards are in place for its protection. 

Alistair MacDonald QC, Chairman of the Bar, outlines the issues that will dominate 2015 – criminal legal aid, the crippling effect of LASPO, new business structures and keeping England and Wales the jurisdiction of choice.  

Four important areas, will, in my view, dominate 2015. The first is criminal legal aid. No-one reading this needs a detailed reminder of the original proposals. 

The importance of the circuits; Penn and Mead revisited; lobbying for amendments to RIPA; the compilation of Guidelines for international arbitrations; and signing off ...  

Sir Frederic Pollock and Professor Maitland wrote, in The History of English Law before the Time of Edward 1, that “a full history of the circuits would be intricate and wearisome”. (See Vol. 1, Ch. VII, p. 180.) I do not agree. I believe that a proper history of any circuit would be both entertaining and informative. I enjoyed the late Graeme Williams QC’s book on the old Oxford Circuit. It left me wanting more. 

The real cost of our justice system compared with Europe; the Practising Fee Certificate changes and survey; understanding the Bar Representation Fee; international views on the rule of law and human rights protection; and Black History Month.  

The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice published a report on 9 October 2014 which prompted some newspapers to say that England and Wales has the most expensive legal aid system in Europe. 

Cross-examination remaining at the heart of the criminal justice system; the Bar’s great advocates; its international reputation for excellence; and the work of the ATC.   

I had intended to begin this month with a reference to the Congress of Vienna, which began 200 years ago, and at which Prince Metternich, Viscount Castlereagh, Talleyrand et al. settled the future of European international relations for a century. However, I have just received the news that Yorkshire County Cricket Club have won the County Championship, and can talk of little else.