Two TidBits – Make that Three

Two unconnected pieces of info for you: Firstly, the Bar Standards Board has approved barristers forming LDPs. Big changes ahead I think. Thanks to the LAG blog for this. Secondly, PM on Radio 4 briefly covered the CAFCASS Crisis today – tomorrow they will run another slot with comment from Guardians. On Radio 4 tomorrow [...]

Proposed Legal Aid Reforms ‘Too Simple’ Admit LSC

‘Scoop’ to Family Law Week – it seems that (whisper it) the message may be beginning to get through – the proposed scheme might need a leetle tweaking. Nice of them to acknowledge that after we’ve all submitted our responses to the consultation but before the close of play (midnight tonight). If they’d admitted that before we [...]

Family Law Bar Report – the lowdown

Although most of the professional press have failed to grasp the concept of ‘embargo’ I, out of politeness, have waited until today to post about this report, which in essence tells you everything that you could hope to know about the family bar. You can already read about the report in the Gazette and Times [...]

Family Justice Under Threat

I want to publicise the disastrous proposals to swipe legal aid in family cases. Not just because it will hurt my pocket, but because it is going to have long term and serious consequences for the families who most need the help of the family justice system, which I do not think government, the LSC, lawyers [...]

The Barristers – Episode 4

Hmm – this post seems to have been waylaid in my ‘drafts’ folder for reasons of PEBCAK. . In Short – see my comments on episode 1, episode 2 and episode 3: more of the same. The final episode can be summarised thus: more shots of people being called to the bar in oak panelled [...]

The Barristers – Episode Three

I don’t feel massively inspired to post about episode three – I watched it. And I think the most elegant way to sum up my response would be ‘meh’ (look it up, it’s in the dictionary now apparently). But perhaps that’s not sufficiently informative to make a very interesting blog post so I’ll plug on… [...]

The Barristers

I’ve been too busy moving house to report on episode 2 of The Barristers before now. Geeklawyer and Family Lore have given their views – I’m inclined also to be less than bowled over. At least we got to see some family law in action which was a welcome reprieve - but frankly I’m bored with traipsing [...]

The Barristers – Verdict In

Part 1 was a bit of a disappointment for me, but I’ll keep an open mind until the end of all four episodes…It was a bit crammed with the entertaining archaisms and amusing traditions which are frontloaded onto entry into the profession and frankly a bit hackneyed – the formal dinners and all the other stuff you have to contend with when training, and [...]

Family Tensions

Oh dear. We (the legally aid family bar) are SO unpopular at the moment….Even the LAG are being mean to us. And I thought we were friends…  I guess I’ll go drown my sorrows in some more of that champagne…

‘The Barristers’ airing soon

The BBC2 / OU documentary ‘The Barristers’ has finally been scheduled for airing in four parts starting on Friday 14th November at 9pm. Set your skyplus digibox type machines to pre-record….