Nicholas Lavender QC shares his reflections on the Annual Bar Conference
This year’s Bar Conference, on Saturday 10 November, was intended as a celebration of excellence. There were certainly some excellent speakers, starting with Lord Hughes of Ombersley and ending with Sir Alan Moses, who looked back on 46 years as a barrister and judge and forward to his new role as chairman of the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
There were 16 other sessions, with expert speakers looking in depth at a range of issues. Naturally, there was a focus on advocacy skills in various contexts: criminal and commercial cases; handling vulnerable witnesses in the family and criminal courts; and handling expert witnesses. We debated the practical steps which can help to achieve excellence. For instance, in the Family Law Bar Association’s session the mock cross-examination of a child witness was dissected, question by question, by a consultant psychiatrist, Professor Samuel Stein.
Adapting to change
Several sessions focused on practice management and career development, both in England and abroad, including expanding one’s knowledge of
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