Law Society: Professional Update Thursday 21 January 2010 This week’s issue features powers of attorney, client care, civil costs conference and more.

Professional Update Thursday 21 January 2010
This week’s issue features powers of attorney, client care, civil costs conference and more.

Bar Council: Barristers ‘gearing up for a revolution in the way they provide their services’ (23 January 2010)

Barristers ‘gearing up for a revolution in the way they provide their services’
(23 January 2010)

‘Changes will reduce the cost of going to law’

Barristers in England and Wales are preparing themselves for major changes in the ways they provide legal services, the new Chairman of the Bar Council will say today.

Law Society: Professional Update Thursday 14 January 2010 This week’s issue features the Jackson review, defendants’ costs, change to rule 2 and more.

Professional Update Thursday 14 January 2010
This week’s issue features the Jackson review, defendants’ costs, change to rule 2 and more.

Bar Council: Update 51 to the Civil Procedure Rules (19 January 2010)

Update 51 to the Civil Procedure Rules
(19 January 2010)

The latest Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) are due to come into force fully on 6 April 2010.

Bar Council: Economic Growth and Social Equity Mean Jackson Reforms are vital to the National Interest

Economic Growth and Social Equity Mean Jackson Reforms are vital to the National Interest
(15 January 2010)

The wide-ranging review of the cost of accessing the civil justice system must be an economic and social priority of any incoming government, the Bar Council said today.

Bar Council: Pages of Prosecution Evidence and Advocates Information Pack

Pages of Prosecution Evidence and Advocates Information Pack
(12 January 2010)

The Bar Council wishes to draw attention to two documents recently published by the Legal Services Commission, relating to advocates’ criminal crown court defence work.

Law Society: Professional Update Thursday 17 December 2009

Professional Update Thursday 17 December 2009
This week’s issue features the VAT change, dropping of BVT plans, virtual courts and more.

Bar Council: All change? Or not? Seminars in Your Area (18 December 2009)

All change? Or not? Seminars in Your Area
(18 December 2009)

The Bar Standards Board made an historic announcement on 20 November 2009, signalling change.

How will the Bar now maintain its unique attributes?
What does the public interest demand?

Bar Council: Annual International Rule of Law Lecture: The Progressive Erosion of the Rule of Law in an Independent Zimbabwe (9 December 2009)

Annual International Rule of Law Lecture: The Progressive Erosion of the Rule of Law in an Independent Zimbabwe
(9 December 2009)

The third annual International Rule of Law Lecture will be held tonight at Inner Temple. Judge Anthony Gubbay, a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe, will give an address entitled ‘The Progressive Erosion of the Rule of Law in an Independent Zimbabwe’.

Bar Council: Stability for the publicly funded Bar, modernisation for all barristers (7 December 2009)

Stability for the publicly funded Bar, modernisation for all barristers
(7 December 2009)

2010 Bar Chairman Nicholas Green QC’s inaugural speech

Securing stability for the publicly funded Bar and the need for all barristers to modernise in the fast-moving legal landscape have been set at the heart of the agenda for 2010 by incoming Bar Council Chairman, Nicholas Green QC.

Bar Council: Legal and Campaigning Organisations Call for Justice to be put Centre Stage in General Election Campaign (3 December 2009)

Legal and Campaigning Organisations Call for Justice to be put Centre Stage in General Election Campaign
(3 December 2009)

Manifesto for Justice Published

A broad and influential coalition of eight leading legal and campaigning organisations has today called on politicians to put justice centre stage in the forthcoming General Election campaign.

Law Society: Professional Update Thursday 26 November 2009 This week’s issue features the global marketplace, PII research, LMS survey results and more.

Professional Update Thursday 26 November 2009
This week’s issue features the global marketplace, PII research, LMS survey results and more.

Bar Council: Upper Tribunal, Asylum and Immigration, Fee Paid Deputy Judge (26 November 2009)

Upper Tribunal, Asylum and Immigration, Fee Paid Deputy Judge
(26 November 2009)

The Judicial Appointments Commission is looking for 40 Deputy Judges to sit in a fee paid capacity in the Upper Tribunal and deal with work arising from the right of appeal on asylum and immigration cases from the First-tier Tribunal.

Bar Council: NAO Identifies Significant Weaknesses in Legal Aid Administration (27 November 2009)

NAO Identifies Significant Weaknesses in Legal Aid Administration
(27 November 2009)

The Bar Council has today welcomed the report on the procurement of criminal legal aid in England and Wales, which has been published by the National Audit Office (NAO).  The NAO’s report examines the procurement of criminal legal aid by the Legal Services Commission (LSC), the body responsible for the distribution of the legal aid budget within England and Wales.

Law Society: Professional Update 19th November 2009

	Professional Update
Thursday 19 November 2009 This week’s issue features legal aid cuts, International Conference, our advertising campaign and more.

Bar Council Welcomes BSB’s Decisions on New Practice Structures (20 November 2009)

Bar Council Welcomes BSB’s Decisions on New Practice Structures
(20 November 2009)

The Bar Council has today welcomed the decisions taken by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) which will permit members of the Bar to supply legal services within new business structures.

Bar Council: Special Rate for In-House Public Access Training (13 November 2009)

Special Rate for In-House Public Access Training
(13 November 2009)

The College of Law are promoting a special rate of £285 plus VAT per delegate for in-house training to undertake public access work. There will be a minimum of 8 participants and a maximum 16 participants to take advantage of this offer. Further details of the course are available on the College of Law website.

Bar Coucnil: Bar Council Welcomes Coroners and Justice Act (13 November 2009)

Bar Council Welcomes Coroners and Justice Act
(13 November 2009)

The Bar Council and the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) have today welcomed the final approval by Parliament of many of the changes for which they had been calling to the Coroners and Justice Bill which received Royal Assent yesterday.

Law Society: Professional Update Thursday 12 November 2009

Professional Update Thursday 12 November 2009
This week’s issue features training contract webinar, events and training, Hunt review and more.

Bar Council: Five Hundred Attend Successful Bar Council Conference (11 November 2009)

Five Hundred Attend Successful Bar Council Conference
(11 November 2009)

Around 500 people were present at the Bar Council Conference on Saturday which has been judged a great success. The keynote speech was delivered by Sir Nicolas Bratza, following the opening address by Chairman of the Bar, Desmond Browne QC. The The full text of Desmond Browne’s speech is available here.

Bar Council: Bar Charities Launch Friends in Law Scheme (11 November 2009)

Bar Charities Launch Friends in Law Scheme
(11 November 2009)

The Bar Pro Bono Unit and the Free Representation Unit are today launching a new scheme which will see sets of chambers encouraged to contribute to the Pro Bono work which is co-ordinated by the Units.  The scheme, called ‘Friends in Law’, has generated significant support with eight leading sets of chambers already members.

Bar Council: Bar Conference and Exhibition 2009 (7 November 2009) Access to Justice – Justice for All?

Bar Conference and Exhibition 2009
(7 November 2009)

Access to Justice – Justice for All?

The 24th Annual Bar Conference, which takes place today in central London, focuses this year on Access to Justice.  When the Bar is facing regulatory changes which could revolutionise the way  it works, and the future of the publicly-funded Bar is endangered by repeated cuts to the legal aid budget, the Conference will hear leading figures from the legal, political, media and academic worlds discuss the future of the justice system.  The keynote speaker will be Sir Nicolas Bratza, one of the Vice-Presidents of the European Court of Human Rights.  Other speakers, such as Dominic Grieve QC MP, Lord Carlile of Berriew QC, Diane Abbott MP and Sara Payne, the first Victims’ Champion, will address issues such as mediation, the treatment of women in the justice system, pro bono work, and international access to justice.

Bar Council: Jonathan Rayner and Joshua Rozenberg Scoop the Bar Council Legal Report Awards for 2008-2009 (7 November 2009)

Jonathan Rayner and Joshua Rozenberg Scoop the Bar Council Legal Report Awards for 2008-2009
(7 November 2009)

Since 1991, the Bar Council has presented an annual award in both print and broadcast categories for outstanding legal reporting. The judging panel this year consisted of:

Law Society: Professional Update Thursday 05 November 2009

Professional Update

Thursday 05 November 2009
This week’s issue features NAO report on legal aid, PII renewal, pro bono week and more.

Bar Council Launches It’s Your Call – A Career at the Bar (3 November 2009)

Bar Council Launches It’s Your Call – A Career at the Bar
(3 November 2009)

The Bar Council has published the fourth annual edition of It’s Your Call, a guide for those interested in joining the Bar.  The guide, published in collaboration with the Inns of Court, is the latest in a series of publications designed to inform the public and those interested in a career as a barrister.