Practice Toolset

Stephen Cobb QC looks at The Family Justice Review and the refreshingly positive view it takes of Family lawyers, and considers its implications

Every year, half a million people are involved in the family justice system, turning to it in times of great stress and conflict. But it is a system under great strain, with “shocking” delays in the resolution of cases (“little short of scandalous”); this is one of the key findings of the Family Justice Review (FJR) panel, chaired by David Norgrove, which has recently published its Interim Report. 

Adam Sampson, Chief Legal Ombudsman, discusses setting up the Legal Ombudsman scheme and the issues arising when familiarising 300 new staff members with the “inns” and outs of the Bar.   

One of the difficulties in setting up the new Legal Ombudsman scheme has been to try to make sure that all of our 300 staff - all recently recruited, and mostly from outside the legal profession - have a good grasp of the nuances of the legal world. 

As the TUC marched against public services cuts they were joined by barristers from several chambers including members of Tooks Chambers. Catherine Rayner and Rebecca Chapman asked them why.  

The TUC demonstration against cuts to public services attracted hundreds of thousands of members of the public onto the streets on Saturday 26 March.  Amongst the union banners and banners for voluntary organisations and community groups, was a black banner with gold figure holding a sword and a pair of broken scales in her hands. Justice was on the march. 

The inaugural Bloomsbury Art Fair is being held this month. Michael Bowes QC and Christine Kings explain the background to the Art Fair and Outer Temple Chambers’ involvement in it.  

Outer Temple Chambers’ personal injury practitioners work regularly with victims of catastrophic injury. They witness the devastating effects of a spinal cord injury and the realities of life in a wheelchair. Many people who find themselves in a wheelchair confront this new future with bravery. A few go on to change the world around them and they are the inspiration for the Bloomsbury Art Fair. 

The Big Voice project is widening participation at the Bar and opening up the legal profession as a career to a broader range of young people. Sarwan Singh explains how. 

Big Voice 2011 is a year long programme of regular evening sessions closely supported by the Supreme Court with the aim of providing legal education to disadvantaged teenagers in an attempt to enhance young people’s understanding of the legal profession, legal access and the court systems in the UK. The project seeks to empower young people who may feel distanced from the world of courts and lawyers and those who take part are divided into three groups, political agency, legal agency and equality and diversity. 

Being a clerk in today’s Bar is very different to the life of Billy Lamb in “Silk”. Paul Martenstyn explores how clerks’ roles and skill sets are evolving . 

“A barrister’s clerk? What exactly do they do?” It’s a question I’ve been asked regularly since I first started clerking in the mid 1990s. Since the escapades of the fictional Senior Clerk Billy Lamb were brought to the small screen in the BBC1 drama series Silk, the question has recently changed to “Are all barrister’s clerks like that?!” Thankfully in my experience they are not, and by some way. 

Adam Sampson Chief Legal Ombudsman gives us his thoughts on Silks, barristers’ financial management issues and some of his current cases…  

Touring one or two of the Silks’ parties over the past few days left me with mixed emotions. On the one hand, it is nice to see talent recognised. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the Silk system, it does at least provide a mechanism by which years of dedication and hard work is honoured. 

Sam Stein QC lays out the Bar Standards Board’s position regarding the awarding and conduct of pupillages and sets down the basic rules  with which all chambers must comply.  

The vast majority of practitioners enjoy their work and would not do anything else. The vast majority of practitioners are probably not fit to do anything else. 

Nichola Higgins, Chairman of the Young Barristers’ Committee, looks at the challenges facing the younger members of the Bar and how they will need to adapt to survive.  

You are not alone in feeling some despair as the Ministry of Justice continues its drive to reduce the need for lawyers, to divert cases towards alternative forms of dispute resolution and reduce lawyers’ remuneration. 

Geoff Everett and Toby Tallon of Smith & Williamson outline the key business structures available to chambers  to enable them to withstand the stormy times ahead.  

Critical analysis after disaster strikes is seldom kind. As seen recently in Japan, commentators have found it all too easy to lay the blame for the aftermath of the tsunami on the inadequate  plans, safety measures and management structures that were in place. A weather warning has now been issued for the UK Bar.