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A Bar for the future

22 November 2018 / Andrew Walker KC
Issue: 7818 / Categories: Opinion , Brexit , Legal services , Profession
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Andrew Walker QC shares his reflections on a year in office & looks ahead

As Chair of the Bar this year, I have tried to focus relentlessly on seeking to secure a better future: for the Bar itself, of course, but also in every area affecting the Bar and which the Bar cares about as a profession. It has been a difficult agenda, with many strands. We owe it to the Bar to pursue all of those strands with vigour, and I hope the Bar will judge that we have done so, and are continuing to do so. As the end of my term approaches, what do I see ahead?

For years, we have seemed to be on the back foot, fighting off yet further damaging changes, with little opportunity to move forward. Some of this is now changing, little by little, and we have been working hard to try to build the relationships that can make this happen.

A major focus has been on improving the situation for the

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

NEWS
The Supreme Court issued a landmark judgment in July that overturned the convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo, once poster boys of the Libor and Euribor scandal. In NLJ this week, Neil Swift of Peters & Peters considers what the ruling means for financial law enforcement
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
Artificial intelligence may be revolutionising the law, but its misuse could wreck cases and careers, warns Clare Arthurs of Penningtons Manches Cooper in this week's NLJ
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