Brave new world? February 8, 2021
'Life is tough – and you have to be tougher than life to change the world.'
Sebastian Piñera
Passing the Brief returns as Keina Yoshida chats with equality and human rights silk Karon Monaghan QC about the difficulties facing women at the Bar, 100 years of the ILO, and what's next for gender equality lawyers
Life at the criminal Bar or the product of an irresistible creative impulse?
By Ben Mills
Recently retired from the bench, the distinctive trailblazer talks to Frances Gibb about her life and career, COVID and criminal justice (including flat batteries at the Bar and the mood of the judges), and the shortage of women at the top
Glenn Parsons takes a snapshot of diversity and inclusion at the Bar in 2021 – and shares what barristers on the North Eastern Circuit are doing to make lasting change happen
The issues considered in New Zealand’s Kempson v R echo calls for urgent law reform in England and Wales through the Domestic Abuse Bill and a standalone strangulation offence, write Susan Edwards and Kris Gledhill
A barrister’s experience of volunteering in a London hospital during the pandemic
By Stephen Page
Is the Independent Human Rights Act Review asking the right questions? Timothy Kiely takes a look at its scope, context and potential impact
London
The ICCA seeks to appoint an outstanding individual to the important role of Director of Education whose primary focus will be education, leadership, strategy, and regulation.
Kirsty Brimelow KC, Chair of the Bar, sets our course for 2026
What meaningful steps can you take in 2026 to advance your legal career? asks Thomas Cowan of St Pauls Chambers
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, explains why drugs may appear in test results, despite the donor denying use of them
Asks Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
AlphaBiolabs has donated £500 to The Christie Charity through its Giving Back initiative, helping to support cancer care, treatment and research across Greater Manchester, Cheshire and further afield
Q and A with criminal barrister Nick Murphy, who moved to New Park Court Chambers on the North Eastern Circuit in search of a better work-life balance
The appointments of 96 new King’s Counsel (also known as silk) are announced today
Ready for the new way to do tax returns? David Southern KC continues his series explaining the impact on barristers. In part 2, a worked example shows the specific practicalities of adapting to the new system
Resolution of the criminal justice crisis does not lie in reheating old ideas that have been roundly rejected before, say Ed Vickers KC, Faras Baloch and Katie Bacon
With pupillage application season under way, Laura Wright reflects on her route to ‘tech barrister’ and offers advice for those aiming at a career at the Bar
Jury-less trial proposals threaten fairness, legitimacy and democracy without ending the backlog, writes Professor Cheryl Thomas KC (Hon), the UK’s leading expert on juries, judges and courts