Legal Profession
News, analysis, comment and updates from ICLR's case law and UK legislation platform
How does a prime time TV series about the law satisfy both the public curiosity about the legal profession and its practices, and the respect of practitioners themselves who would like to see a mirror held up to their nature? And just how true-to-life can the characters get when one of them steps out of… Continue reading about Silk – where strife imitates art
The Legal Services Consumer Panel (LSCP) recently proposed an investigation into the so-called “professional” McKenzie Friend market amid concerns that consumers (litigants in person) are being exploited and abused. Perhaps surprisingly, given how obsessively the legal professions are currently regulated, these self-appointed in-court helpers are not subject to any code of practice, let alone formal… Continue reading about McKenzie Frenzy: regulating the irregulars
More musings from the bench with the most honourable and learned HHJ Pennyweather Now here’s something I never thought I’d hear myself say: it’s high time that barristers started being a little more confident. Now, I’m not talking about their current woes with the government. Nor am I talking about established members of the… Continue reading about HHJ Pennyweather: Young barristers need to up their game
The following message is shared from website of the International Bar Association, the global voice of the legal profession, with which ICLR, as a regular exhibitor at the IBA annual conference, is glad to be associated. IBA mourns and celebrates Nelson Mandela, Founding Honorary President of its Human Rights Institute The International Bar Association (IBA)… Continue reading about Mandela remembered: a lawyer for all seasons – via The IBA
It’s just not fair. Not fair at all. One minute, the policy is that it’d be wrong to have cameras in our courts and the next it appears to have changed but only for the likes of the Court of Appeal. I can’t believe that I spent years appearing in the Court of Appeal and… Continue reading about HHJ Pennyweather: Why can’t we have the TV cameras in our county courts?
“All we are is glorified car mechanics,” said UpTights at Chambers tea today. “Just fixing minor errors caused by solicitors.” “Except not so glorified,” said TheBusker. “Yes, I doubt there’d be many mechanics who’d be pleased with the comparison,” said HeadofChambers. “What’s the problem?” asked OldSmoothie. “Not had any trials of late?” “I should be… Continue reading about BabyBarista: Lawyers are just glorified car mechanics
National Pro Bono Week and the Bar Conference 2013 At a time when public funding is being cut to the bone, the Bar is already going further and working pro bono. But is it right for the government – with all David Cameron’s talk of the Big Society stepping in where public spending fears to… Continue reading about Pro bono publico: private conscience and public service
Within only a few weeks of starting his pupillage, one of the pupils has already garnered quite a reputation as a show-off. Not a show-off in a theatrical, maybe kind of charming but just a bit too much energy sort of a way either. More of a show-off in an insecure, in your face and… Continue reading about How not to do pupillage with new recruit PupilBrag
Over the summer, following a period of sometimes stormy consultation with interested parties, the Bar Standards Board published the first edition of its QASA Handbook. In a series of earlier posts, this blog has examined the background, aims and components of the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates. See: Questions about QASA QASA in practice: doing… Continue reading about The cart, the horse, the nut and the sledgehammer: a review of the QASA Handbook
In his latest posting, His Honour Judge Pennyweather ruminates on the mysterious allure of anonymous tweeting for members of the judiciary. Sponsored post from the BabyBarista blog.… Continue reading about HHJ Pennyweather: Judicial eccentricities amplified on Twitter!
