Civil

Business

The Bar Council is opposing plans to introduce a second tier of contract law throughout Member States.

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Silk, One Essex Court

One Essex Court specialises in all forms of commercial litigation. Its work embraces all aspects of domestic and international trade, commerce and finance. Its members provide specialist advice and advocacy services worldwide, which include all areas of dispute resolution, litigation and arbitration. Members of Chambers also regularly accept nominations as arbitrators, mediators and experts

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Barrister, 11KBW

11KBW advises on all areas of civil practice with particular depth of experience in public law having acted, inter alia, in the leading case on the right to free elections. Along with its reputation in education law, chambers brings its expertise to bear in EU Competition and regularly advises central government, local authorities and individuals.

Gray’s Inn was the setting for a stirring debate on libel reform in January. The timing was perfect. The Coalition Government was due to publish its draft Defamation Bill and Nick Clegg, only days before the debate, set out the Government’s commitment to libel reform, saying: “Our aim is to turn English Libel laws from an international laughing stock to an international blueprint”.

Chaired by Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, the five panellists covered a wide range of issues including: access to justice; the impact of libel reform on UK tabloids; how should libel law draw a distinction between the defamation claims against a blogger with a dozen readers and the defamation claims against a newspaper with millions of readers? 

Civil litigation

A Bar Council working group has been set up to explore the viability of a Contingency Legal Aid Fund (CLAF) in the wake of the government’s announcement on civil litigation costs.

Just what does the Coalition Government stand for? Charles Hale and Toby Craig investigate…

As we approach the first anniversary of the Coalition Government and the all-important alternative vote referendum, the past month has given us some of the clearest indications yet of what the unexpected alliance is all about. 

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Chief Executive and Senior Civil Clerk, 9 Gough Square Chambers

A leading common law set based in London but appearing in courts throughout England and Wales and abroad. Key practice areas are personal injury, clinical negligence, professional negligence, fraud and serious crime, family, police law, employment and property.

Judiciary

District Judge Paul Mildred has warned the legal aid cuts will heap pressure on the courts, in his first public comments since becoming President of the Association of District Judges.

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Head of Chambers, 12 Gray's Inn Square

Qualifications
Admitted as a Solicitor in 1966. Appointed Silk 1997

CV
Chosen as one of the UK's "go to people" for international arbitration and was involved in the drafting of the 1996 Arbitration Act.  12 Gray's Inn Square starts practising as of 15 April and is one of the first examples of an alternative business structure (ABS) at the Bar.  

What differences have you found between being a tax solicitor and a tax barrister?

The differences are slight. Tax solicitors receive questions from clients or fellow members of their firms resulting in meetings and notes of advice. These mirror, effectively, instructions, conferences and opinions. Solicitors are probably inclined to be more commercial because, inevitably, they are aware of the importance of a transaction and the need to find a solution rather than just giving a view.