Practice Toolset

Following the response to our recent survey we are now able to target our resources on meeting those needs which have been identified by the Bar itself, writes Paul Mosson.  

Back in January the Chairman of the Bar, Desmond Browne QC, authored an article in this magazine to raise awareness of a member research project being conducted by mruk research ltd on behalf of the Bar Council (“Meeting your Needs”, Counsel, January 2009, pp 10-11). Subsequently all members of the Bar were invited to complete an online questionnaire asking what products and services the Bar would like Member Services to secure on their behalf and how they wished to be contacted about them. I know I speak for all at the Bar Council when I thank the 4,333 members of the Bar who freely gave their time to help shape the Member Services of the future by completing this questionnaire. They represented 25 per cent of those surveyed by email and 7 per cent of those surveyed by post, a very high response rate for a survey of this kind. 

The Treasury Solicitor’s Department dispels the myths surrounding appointment to the Attorney General’s Civil Panels.  

The Attorney General maintains (by means of an open advertisement and application process) four panels of junior counsel to undertake civil and EU work for all government departments. She has three London panels and a regional panel.  The panel system means that whether junior counsel are acting for the government in relation to an inquiry into deaths in Iraq, a judicial review against a planning decision, a claim for defective construction of a motorway, an injunction against a newspaper, or indeed any other aspect of contentious and non-contentious legal work for which counsel are needed, then the counsel selected will be members of one of the Attorney General’s Civil Panels. 

The 2009 Conference promises to be accessible, and of interest, to all members of the Bar, says Fiona Jackson.  

On 7 November the 24th Annual Bar Conference will consider as its theme “Access to Justice — Justice for All?”. To answer the perennial question “Why should I go?”, key reasons this year include: 

• A programme including a broad range of workshops debating core issues affecting the whole profession and the justice system. Barristers practising in all areas will find sessions directly relevant to them 
• Prestigious and expert speakers considering Access to Justice issues at home and abroad 
• What better way to earn at least six CPD points and network with colleagues? There are also free and discounted places, online booking and free childcare facilities available 

How has the advocacy strategy deployed by the CPS been working in practice in the Crown Court? David Wurtzel investigates.  

In 2004 the new Director of Public Prosecutions, Sir Ken MacDonald, launched an advocacy strategy vision in which the Crown Prosecution Service (“CPS”) was to become “an organisation that routinely conducts its own high quality advocacy in all courts, efficiently and eff ectively”. In that first year, Crown advocates conducted 7,433 sessions; in 2008−09 it was 56,519 sessions including 8,401 trials. The aim was to achieve 25 per cent of the cost of advocacy-in-house by 2011; it is now 21.3 per cent. 

The Australian Bar Association Conference examined how English law deals with human rights considerations, privacy issues and direct access, reports Justice Glenn Martin.  

Why did 150 Australian barristers and judges come to London in June to hear about the law of England and Wales? We, the Australian Bar Association (“ABA”), came precisely because the law is, to varying degrees, different in this jurisdiction. And because of the different ways in which the profession and the judiciary have dealt with problems which have also arisen in Australia. And because exposure to different ideas and attitudes challenges you to re-assess your own decisions and behaviour. 

How can BVC students maximise their chances of obtaining a pupillage? Yvonne Kramo believes a traineeship with the European Parliament will help her achieve her goal 

Dear Editor 

The July 2009 edition of Counsel published an article entitled “Since you pay for it....” (pp 14-16) about the cover that Bar Mutual offers for disciplinary complaints to the Bar Standards Board. Unfortunately, Bar Mutual’s address as published in text box “Support and Assistance” was incorrect. We are now at 90 Fenchurch Street, London EC3M 4ST. 

The Qatar Law Forum in May 2009 brought together global leaders in law to mark a shared commitment to the rule of law, reports Khadija Ali.  

The Qatar Law Forum took place in Doha from 29 to 31 May 2009 under the patronage of His Highness the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. 

“Have you embellished your evidence?” Joyce Plotnikoff and Richard Woolfson, the authors of Measuring up?, examine the challenges of questioning young witnesses at court 

Shelley White sets out the revised guidance on court attire.