Barristers
Sumption: Bar of future will be smaller and more specialist
There will be fewer and more specialist barristers in the future, Lord Sumption has predicted, as he criticised some of the Bar’s actions in response to legal aid cuts.
Labour promises Bar training overhaul as part of legal reforms
A Labour government will reform barristers’ training by putting it back in the hands of the Inns of Court and ending the “profiteering” by commercial providers, Baroness Chakrabarti has said.
“Significant number” of barristers struggling with CPD regime
A “significant number” of barristers are still unaware that a new scheme for CPD has been in force for nearly two years or are unclear on how it works, Bar Standards Board checks have found.
BSB gains power to intervene in barristers’ practices
The Bar Standards Board now has the power to intervene in individual barristers’ practices among a host of other new regulatory tools that have been approved by Parliament.
Barrister reprimanded for drunken behaviour at Bar Mess event
A barrister has been reprimanded and fined for his drunken behaviour at a Bar Mess event, where he engaged in “excessively physical and unwanted contact” with a pupil.
Bar chair urges solicitors to act over barrister bias
The chairman of the Bar Council has sent a strong message to solicitors about the need to challenge clients who discriminate against barristers because of gender, race or other bias.
Female Asian barrister returns brief because client wanted ‘white man’
The only female Afghan-born practising barrister revealed yesterday that she had been asked by a solicitor to return her brief because the client wanted “a white male barrister”.
Top family solicitor opts for BSB entity regulation
The former national head of family law at Simpson Millar has set up his own firm and chosen to be regulated by the Bar Standards Board, which he described as a “good fit” for his business.
New rules to bolster legal regulators’ independence
New rules which clearly limit the influence the Law Society can have on the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and the Bar Council on the Bar Standards Board, have been published.
Barristers becoming as vulnerable to cyber-attacks as solicitors
Increased use of technology at the Bar and in the court system has left barristers as vulnerable to cyber-attacks as solicitors, the Bar Standards Board has warned.
Blog
The best legal AI doesn’t replace rules-based engines – it completes them
There is a belief circulating in legal tech that AI can solve everything – that LLMs are universally superior to what came before. It is not always true, however.
Small steps, big impact: how SME law firms are making legal tech work
For SME law firms, the priority is turning the potential of tech into measurable impact: success is driven not just by the technology, but by how firms approach planning and implementation.
Why housing disrepair claims against councils have leapt by nearly 400%
Housing disrepair claims against councils have surged dramatically in recent years, with some areas reporting increases approaching a staggering 400%.
