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20 October 2017 / Sir Geoffrey Bindman KC
Issue: 7766 / Categories: Opinion , Legal aid focus , Profession
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Bach gets it right

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The balance sheet is important but humans & justice come first, says Geoffrey Bindman

The final report of the Bach Commission is an admirable blueprint for the restoration of our justice system. Lord Bach has stressed that the commission was made up of people selected for their expertise rather than any affiliation with the Labour Party (see ‘The right to justice & an agenda for change’, NLJ 6 October 2017, p 7). Lord Bach is a former Labour minister and the report is published by the Fabian Society, but the presence of the former Court of Appeal judge Sir Henry Brooke as vice-chair guarantees (to all who know him) its independence and authority. The report can thus be regarded not as a party political document but as a basis for cross-party consensus. The Government’s hopefully imminent review of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) should follow its recommendations on legal aid.

More than a pillar

The NHS and legal aid are often described as the twin pillars

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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NEWS
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NLJ this week: Is inequality undermining trust?
The legal profession’s claim to be a ‘guardian of fairness’ is under scrutiny after stark findings on gender imbalance and opaque progression. Writing in NLJ this week, Joshua Purser of No5 Barristers’ Chambers and Govindi Deerasinghe of Global 50/50 warn that leadership remains dominated by a narrow elite, with men holding 71% of top court roles
NLJ this week: Freemasons ruling backs police transparency over privacy claims
A legal challenge to police disclosure rules has failed, reinforcing a push for transparency in policing. In NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth examines a case where the Metropolitan Police required officers to declare membership of groups like the Freemasons
NLJ this week: Right to grieve marks ‘major shift’ in employment law
Bereavement leave is undergoing a quiet but profound transformation. Writing in NLJ this week, Robert Hargreaves of York St John University explains how the Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces a day-one right to leave for a wider range of losses, alongside new provisions for pregnancy loss and bereaved partners
NLJ this week: AI privilege battles expose risks
Courts are beginning to grapple with whether AI-generated material is legally privileged—and the answers are mixed. In this week's issue of NLJ, Stacie Bourton, Tom Whittaker & Beata Kolodziej of Burges Salmon examine US rulings showing how easily privilege can be lost
NLJ this week: Experts warned—AI use must be transparent
New guidance seeks to bring order to the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Minesh Tanna and David Bridge of Simmons & Simmons set out a framework stressing ‘transparency’, ‘explainability’ and ‘reliability’
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