Practice Toolset

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.  

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. 

As court fee increases and legal aid cuts continue to bite, Marian Riley-Poku assesses a High Court pro bono scheme set up to assist litigants-in-person facing corporate insolvency in the winding up court  

The cuts to legal aid and the corresponding rise in the number of litigants-in-person (LiPs) since the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 came into force are well documented.  

Elizabeth Alabaster outlines the work of the Access to Justice Foundation and urges lawyers to up their efforts to seek pro bono costs  

The Access to Justice Foundation was established in 2008 by the Bar Council, Chartered Institute of Legal Executives and the Law Society.  

Regulating paid McKenzie Friends and allowing them to exercise rights of audience will not benefit clients, the courts or the interests of justice, argues Sarah-Jane Bennett  

Going to court is not an everyday activity for most people. It can be (and usually is) daunting, confusing and stressful for litigants.  

Lee Moore highlights the impact of traumatic cases on barristers and the wider legal profession  

I fled pupillage in 1974 to seek refuge as in-house counsel to a marine insurance company.  

The raw numbers in today’s Silk cohort are illuminating, finds David Wurtzel, and raise wider questions as to whether a more diverse and representative rank can be achieved through a merit-based system alone  

The list of new Queen’s Counsel was published in January.  

Elsa Booth explores the vibrant Manchester commercial and Chancery Bars and considers whether, in this age of connectivity, the term ‘regional’ is becoming less applicable  

At a Manchester Civil Justice Centre event last year, Mr Justice Norris suggested that in the legal world, the term ‘provinces’ is redundant and even ‘regional’ is under pressure.  

Fiona Jackson introduces the new Bar Council guidance which aims to help chambers better handle claims of sexual harassment  

According to recent research, it seems that incidents of sexual harassment are rarer than when I was first Called (Snapshot: The Experience of Self-Employed Women at the Bar , 2015). 

Dr Anton van Dellen and Thomas Crockett turn the spotlight on third six pupillages and open the debate on developing best practice  

Seven years ago, a non-trading individual without a listed business address notoriously set up a website to charge fees to prospective barristers applying for third six pupillages.