Barristers
‘Vexatious’ barrister loses High Court appeal against disbarment
A barrister who was disbarred after the Employment Appeal Tribunal made a ‘restriction of proceedings’ order to prevent him bringing further vexatious claims, has had his appeal to the High Court rejected.
Gove: Make serious criminal cases barristers’ preserve and raise entry standards to Bar
More serious criminal defence work should be restricted to barristers, and solicitor-advocates who want to do it should have to requalify, the former Lord Chancellor, Michael Gove, has suggested. He also called for a “higher-quality filter” for those wanting to become barristers and reiterated his support for a levy on City law firms to aid those less fortunate.
Legal profession part of the problem as commission says social mobility is getting worse
Privately educated people still dominate the legal profession, with barriers to entry for those from less affluent backgrounds are even more acute at the Bar than among solicitors, the Social Mobility Commission said yesterday.
Barristers face decade of higher practising fees to plug Bar Council pension fund hole
Barristers are set to pay 10% extra for their practising certificates for the next decade, first to plug a multi-million pound hole in the Bar Council’s pension fund and then to buy it out and remove all future liabilities.
Lawyers in hot water over tax troubles
A solicitor in debt to HM Revenue & Customs who supplied legal services without complying with a condition that he had first to give the taxman security for the VAT, has been rebuked by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Suspension and public access ban for ‘named and shamed’ barrister
The first and only lawyer to be ‘named and shamed’ by the Legal Ombudsman has been suspended from practice at the Bar for 14 months. Tariq Rehman was also prohibited from accepting or carrying out public access instructions for three years.
Barrister disbarred over antisemitic and racist tweets
A barrister who sent out a series of anti-semitic and racist tweets has been disbarred by a Bar disciplinary tribunal. The tweets by unregistered barrister Ian Millard in November 2014 were found to be “seriously offensive”. He has also been reported to the police.
MoJ set to press ahead with regulatory independence
The Ministry of Justice has no intention of dropping its plans to separate the legal regulators from their representative bodies, it said yesterday as it unveiled reviews of how the Legal Services Board and Legal Ombudsman are operating.
Briggs urges barristers to embrace direct access
The Bar has nothing to fear from an online court, but it must take direct access “seriously”, Lord Justice Briggs has said. In particular, he said, the young Bar, which “excels” in providing a “competitive” service, would be well placed to play its part in the new court.
“Growing interest” in barrister-run ABSs
The Bar’s regulator will take a “cautious” approach to licencing alternative business structures (ABSs) and look closely at non-lawyer owners to ensure no “naughty” behaviour, but said over the weekend that there is strong interest in the possibilities on offer.
Blog
Amplifying reach through employee-driven thought leadership
Nine in 10 executives believe thought leadership is critical to building authority, yet only a quarter feel they have implemented a robust strategy.
Divorce escrow: asset sales before final settlement
When significant matrimonial assets are sold before a final financial order is agreed, holding the proceeds safely and neutrally can present real practical challenges.
AML lacks clarity – and standards are suffering
If firms are buckling under the pressure of AML regulations, subject to ever-increasing fines, then something is clearly not working as it should be.
