Barristers

A barrister who failed to give “unwelcome advice” to an “over-enthusiastic client” has been suspended for a month by a Bar disciplinary tribunal.

An experienced barrister should not have been suspended for “mere gossip” in the robing rooms of Crown Courts, the High Court was told this week.

The Bar Standards Board was told yesterday that it will be held to account over how it deals with poor-quality criminal advocacy after its decision to ditch QASA.

Any fees not yet paid to a barrister at the time of his bankruptcy do not vest in his trustee in bankruptcy if they arise on a non-contractual basis, the High Court has ruled.

A barrister already suspended multiple times by Bar disciplinary tribunals has been fined a total of £4,000 and permanently banned from direct access work.

QCs should not lose their designation unless they are excluded from the profession and even then not automatically, the Bar Council has said.

The Court of Appeal has rejected what it described as a “cynical” attempt by two criminals to blame their barrister for confiscation orders made against them.

Barco, the Bar Council’s third-party escrow service used by barristers and solicitors, has shut down after “suitable” commercial providers entered the market.

When small businesses believe they can trust the transparency of legal providers on fees, they are twice as likely to seek the advice of lawyers, according to the Legal Services Board.

An experienced criminal law barrister has been fined by a disciplinary tribunal for failing to apply for a forfeiture order on behalf of his client.

Employment lawyers support targeted ethical training in the wake of the furore over NDAs, while the Bar Standards Board is to issue guidance on their use.

Legal regulators must show that lawyers will face “serious sanctions” if they sexually harass clients or colleagues or misuse non-disclosure agreements, MPs said today.

The Legal Services Board is to impose reform that will end the “different treatment” for accountancy regulators which also oversee legal services.

A barrister who worked as an advocate at City law firms has set up a niche commercial firm regulated by the BSB, offering arbitration clients fixed fees.

A survey of a barristers’ mentoring scheme has found a wide divergence of perceptions between the newly qualified and experienced advocates questioned.