Desmond Browne
The Bar Council attended all three major political party conferences this year. Our involvement in these events provided us with useful opportunities to meet various politicians and to share our ideas about the justice agenda. In these recessionary times, and given that we are, in the words of the Legal Services Commission, “celebrating” 60 years of legal aid, it will come as no surprise that I used these opportunities to brief ministers and opposition portfolio-holders on access to justice, legal aid funding, and the impact that cuts to the legal aid budget will have on vulnerable members of society who may be unable to obtain the representation they need.
The government should act now to counter concerns about the Legal Services Bill’s threat to independence, says Desmond Browne QC
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Flint Bishop—Charlotte Harris
Sheffield expansion continues with appointment of commercial property partner
Browne Jacobson—Paul Duggan
Browne Jacobson strengthens banking and finance practice with latest partner appointment Paul Duggan
Ward Hadaway—Chris Piggott
Employment partner joins Ward Hadaway
Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.
