An open letter to the Chair of the Criminal Bar Association in relation to legal aid rates under the Advocates’ Graduated Fee Scheme (AGFS), signed by 193 criminal barristers. Dear Chris, We write to you and the CBA executive as junior Criminal barristers of 0-12 years’ call, in the wake of the government’s consultation…
Read moreA few thoughts on the “£23m extra” for legal aid
Just a few thoughts about this story on the proposed “£23m increase” in legal aid criminal defence fees, which has been making some headlines. The Ministry of Justice has loudly publicised the agreement struck with the Criminal Bar Association over legal aid rates paid to criminal defence advocates – the story was even towards the…
Read moreGUEST POST: An open letter to The Criminal Bar Association, The South Eastern Circuit and The Bar Council
Below is an open letter published by five junior criminal practitioners in relation to the new Advocates Graduated Fee Scheme (AGFS), which for non-lawyers is the scheme for payment of defence advocates in legally aided criminal cases. 19thNovember 2018 We write in relation to a case which has just collapsed at the Crown…
Read moreGuest post by Mukul Chawla QC: Reflections from my years at the independent Bar
I am delighted and honoured to publish this guest post by Mukul Chawla QC. Many readers will know that, after 35 years at the independent Bar blazing trails that leave us mortal practitioners feeling very humbled indeed, Mukul is stepping down as Head of Chambers at Foundry Chambers (formerly 9-12 Bell Yard) for a new beginning in employed practice….
Read moreAnnouncement: Free Representation Unit
Those who read these pages, follow on Twitter or have waded through the book will know that access to justice is a cause about which I’m prone to making a fair bit of noise. The rule of law only works if individuals have the means to enforce their rights in the courts, which is only…
Read moreGuest post: Some calculations on the new Advocates’ Graduated Fee Scheme
In the latest of a series of guest blogposts looking at the consultation on the proposed new Advocates’ Graduated Fee Scheme, a contributor has offered the following calculations and comments. Dishonesty For dishonesty offences (category 6), we propose increasing the basic fees for trials, guilty pleas, and cracked trials: in band 6.1 by around…
Read moreGuest post by Francis FitzGibbon QC: A response to Michael Turner QC on Advocates’ Graduated Fees
Another former Chair of the Criminal Bar Association, Francis FitzGibbon QC, writes in response to this week’s guest post by Michael Turner QC. This is my reply to Michael Turner QC’s post. He doesn’t seem to have read the first ‘Monday Message’ by Chris Henley QC, the current Chair of the Criminal Bar Association….
Read moreGuest post by Michael Turner QC: Advocates’ Graduated Fees – Where are we now? Up the creek
Michael Turner QC, former Chair of the Criminal Bar Association, writes regarding the new Advocates’ Graduated Fee Scheme. Much of what I would wish to say has been more ably put by Polly Toynbee in this recent article. However, now that the cuts under the new Advocates Graduated Fee Scheme are beginning to bite,…
Read moreThe Big Issue: Why The Law Is Broken
I’ve written a piece in this week’s Big Issue on the crisis in our criminal justice system. The article can be read online here, but if you are able to grab a paper copy and donate to a brilliant cause, I’d urge you to do so.
Read moreDid this kitten really conduct a criminal trial by itself… and WIN?
I am informed that one of the liberties you can take as a writer with a (undeserved and long-suffering) loyal following is to indulge in a little creative sleight of hand. One might, for example, in an effort to gain wider attention for a mundane-sounding issue, attach a ludicrous and unrelated clickbait headline to draw…
Read more