Features

Dermot Feenan explores the place of compassion in legal practice  

The Family Law Bar Association obituary of Sir Nicholas Wall, formerly President of the Family Division, stated Sir Nicholas was a compassionate judge who ‘thought and cared deeply about the outcome of his cases’ – a reminder that justice and compassion are not seen to be necessarily incompatible. There are many reasons why compassion has a role to play in practice. 

Benchmark your budding best practice: putting mental health firmly on the chambers agenda is the right thing to do and benefits the bottom line
 

With International Women’s Day in March and the new Gender Pay Gap Regulations in force from April, what better time to let you know about the Barristers Lean in Circle? Eleena Misra reports  

Social collective consciousness around the experience of women in society, and not just at the Bar, is increasing.  

As the IICSA launches under its fourth chair, David Wolchover and Anthony Heaton-Armstrong ask how radically the Jay Review has reined in its objectives in wake of criticisms about deficit of due process  

Coming at a time of mounting public disquiet over the actions and management of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), the mysterious resignations of its third chair, Dame Lowell Goddard, its leading counsel, Ben Emmerson QC, and other legal staff gave replacement chair, Professor Alexis Jay, pause to take stock.  

Greater Manchester Law Centre has opened against the odds and is the third new centre to join the legal aid network post-LASPO. Barristers were integral to its success and John Nicholson outlines the journey – urging the Bar to join the wider campaign for law centres  

Ken Loach’s I Daniel Blake  paints a clear picture of Britain today.  

Money or property transferred pursuant to an illegal transaction is recoverable following the seminal case of Patel v Mirza. Nicholas Strauss QC examines the case and its implications in the first of a two-part feature  

Most lawyers remember, even if little else, Lord Mansfield’s dictum in 1775 ‘ex turpi causa non oritur actio... potior est conditio defendentis ’ and many are aware of the ensuing 240 years of chaotic case law resulting, as Lord Sumption has said, from the courts’ distaste for applying their own rule.  

Minding our standards: in the first of a new column for Counsel, Andrew Walker QC outlines fresh imperatives and initiatives for barristers to enhance their knowledge of ethics in practice and stay ahead of the curve  

A new year brings changes and new ideas to the Bar Council.  

David Wurtzel reveals the story behind the statistics in this year’s Silk list and Abigail Bright imparts sage career advice from an expert panel of women QCs 

No contacts, no mini-pupillage? Dr Elaine Freer examines the state of work experience at the Bar in light of recent guidance for chambers and her own research on socio-economically disadvantaged aspirant entrants  

On its website pages about work experience, the Bar Council states: ‘Mini-pupillages provide an invaluable insight into life as a barrister and may provide some useful contacts to assist you in finding pupillage.