Features

Author: Peter Morrell
Publisher: i2i Publishing, 30 June 2015
ISBN-13: 9780993243257
Paperback
Price: £8.95 

In the second interview in this Counsel series, Melissa Coutinho speaks to family law blogger, Lucy Reed  

Lucy Reed is the creator of Pink Tape , a blog started in 2007 which led to her being one of the The Times’  top legal bloggers (March 2011) and was described in The Guardian  in May 2011 as “one of the best legal bloggers for style and content”.  

Only by going through the pupillage application process will students understand their chances of success. Joanne Wicks QC explains why and how applicants should be encouraged to apply for pupillage before undertaking the Bar Professional Training Course  

Most barristers I speak to think that the ratio of Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) places to pupillages is a scandal.  

The Dublin system determines that asylum applications in the EU must be made in the country into which the asylum seeker first arrives. The Syrian refugee crisis exposes the system as not fit for purpose, argues Chris McWatters  

Most people following the story of Syrian refugees tramping through Europe were horrified by this September’s images of desperate families being fought off with tear gas and water cannon at the Hungarian and Croatian frontiers.  

Mark Hatcher reflects on the forthcoming Spending Review and its impact on the administration of justice  

On 8 July in his Budget Statement the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, set out the Government’s plans for running a budget surplus for the first time in almost twenty years in 2019–20. 

The Criminal Bar has just received a Better Case Management Information Pack. Peter Hungerford-Welch explains the background to its arrival, the new case management system and what this means for counsel  

In January 2015, the Review of Efficiency in Criminal Proceedings  by Sir Brian Leveson was published.  

Bob Hutchinson, who recently resigned after serving for 11 years as a magistrate, outlines the impact of CCCs on magistrates’ discretion and judicial fairness  

In April this year the Government introduced the criminal court charge (CCC) in England and Wales.  

It can be a tragically small world  

“Speed has never killed anyone. Suddenly becoming stationary – that’s what gets you…”– Jeremy Clarkson 

Adrian Jack follows up on the recruitment crisis in the High Court and reports on recent developments  

The High Court recruitment crisis was highlighted in the July issue of Counsel .  

In April, the Government introduced charges into the criminal courts. These charges have proved controversial and there are calls for an urgent review. The Chairman of the Bar, Alistair MacDonald QC, explains the profession’s concerns  

One of the last acts of the Coalition Government was, without any sort of debate, to slip into legislation criminal court charges payable by defendants.