header-logo header-logo

20 May 2010 / Sir Geoffrey Bindman KC
Issue: 7418 / Categories: Opinion
printer mail-detail

All Bar none

Receiving the usual crop of invitations from barristers’ chambers to join them in celebrating the appointment of new Queen’s Counsel prompted me to wonder how this strange relic of class privilege has survived and what has really changed since the 1950s.

Geoffrey Bindman calls for unification of the legal profession

Receiving the usual crop of invitations from barristers’ chambers to join them in celebrating the appointment of new Queen’s Counsel prompted me to wonder how this strange relic of class privilege has survived and what has really changed since the 1950s.

I applaud almost any excuse for a celebration and I do not begrudge the lucky winners their joy in the enhancement of their professional status and income, but it has long been obvious that the status of QC is of value only to them. Indeed, the QC continues to exemplify the costly and anachronistic rituals of the Bar which the efforts of reformers seem unable to eliminate.

Lawyers cling to arbitrary and restrictive practices which obstruct access to legal advice and representation

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

42BR Barristers—4 Brick Court

42BR Barristers—4 Brick Court

42BR Barristers to be joined by leading family law set, 4 Brick Court, this summer

Winckworth Sherwood—Rubianka Winspear

Winckworth Sherwood—Rubianka Winspear

Real estate and construction energy offering boosted by partner hire

Gateley Legal—Daniel Walsh

Gateley Legal—Daniel Walsh

Firm bolsters real estate team with partner hire in Birmingham

NEWS
A wave of housing and procedural reforms is set to test the limits of tribunal capacity. In his latest Civil Way column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold charts sweeping change as the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 begins biting
Plans to reduce jury trials risk missing the real problem in the criminal justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, David Wolchover of Ridgeway Chambers argues the crown court backlog is fuelled not by juries but weak cases slipping through a flawed ‘50%’ prosecution test
Emerging technologies may soon transform how courts determine truth in deeply personal disputes. In this week's NLJ, Madhavi Kabra of 1 Hare Court and Harry Lambert of Outer Temple Chambers explore how neurotechnology could reshape family law
A controversial protest case has reignited debate over the limits of free expression. In NLJ this week, Nicholas Dobson examines a Quran-burning incident testing public order law
The courts have drawn a firm line under attempts to extend arbitration appeals. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed of the University of Leicester highlights that if the High Court refuses permission under s 68 of the Arbitration Act 1996, that is the end
back-to-top-scroll