Features

Laura Hoyano provides a refresher on the barrister’s rule of independence in response to the Home Secretary’s proffered ‘deal’ to human rights lawyers  

Home Secretary Theresa May has been vocal over recent months on immigration and human rights laws, most recently arguing in April that Britain should leave the European Convention on Human Rights.  

Anthony Inglese CB meets the government’s most senior legal official, Treasury Solicitor Jonathan Jones, for an insight into his role and the application of law in the political context  

‘Government wants to do whatever’s possible to achieve its aims within the rule of law – and will push at the limits, as it has every right to do,’ explains Jonathan Jones, the lawyer who advises the pinnacle of government.  

Have entities taken off as expected at the Bar? Scott Leonard and Michael Stacey consider the opportunities for practitioners and issues for chambers considering how to accommodate these new business models  

Much has been written about the opportunities presented to the Bar by entity regulation. When the Bar Standards Board (BSB) launched entity regulation in January 2015, it predicted over 400 entities would be authorised in the first year.  

From basic ID checks to enhanced due diligence when working with the ‘politically exposed’, Melanie Mylvaganam reminds barristers of their vulnerabilities to money laundering scams – and how to avoid becoming unwittingly complicit  

Money laundering reared its ugly head again in the wake of the ‘Panama Papers’ exposé.  

Should guilty pleas be entertained by the ICC and, more controversially, should they be sought in the first place? Sheryn Omeri looks at the arguments for and against, in the context of an ongoing prosecution for cultural destruction in UNESCO-listed Timbuktu  

For the first time in the 14-year history of the International Criminal Court (ICC) a defendant charged with a war crime has indicated his intention to plead guilty.   

Managing director at Clerksroom  

Clerksroom is a nationwide chambers of barristers and mediators providing advocacy, advice and mediation throughout England & Wales. 

When will women barristers be allowed to compete on a level playing field with their male counterparts, without stereotypes intruding? As the Association of Women Barristers marks its 25th anniversary in June, co-chair Lisa Wilson reflects on progress and future direction  

‘Would you rather be a bitch or a bimbo?’ asked my criminal litigation tutor in Bar School, less than a decade ago. ‘As a woman entering the criminal Bar, those are your choices,’ he advised. 

Marking the Bard’s anniversary year, Quentin Skinner examines Shakespeare’s links with the law and use of dramatic techniques through the lens of the classical theory of forensic eloquence  

Shakespeare had many dealings with lawyers and the law, most of them arising from his role as a successful man of business.  

Surprise victories are perhaps not so surprising  

‘People are generally better persuaded by the reasons which they have themselves discovered than by those which have come into the mind of others.’– Blaise Pascal, Pensées 

Mark Hatcher distils for the Bar another busy month in Westminster – Super Thursday and a One-Nation-themed Queen’s Speech.  

The UK’s ‘Super Thursday’ results on 6 May provided the first significant verdicts on the UK political situation since last year’s General Election. The outcome was a disaster for Labour.