Handle with care: court reform

The Bar is not set against the government’s court reform programme, the Chair of the Bar Council, Andrew Walker QC (pictured) writes in NLJ this week. However, it does have reservations, for example, about the ‘lack of proper consultation’ and ‘lack of clarity of aims’. Walker says: ‘We should not be spending first and asking questions later.’

Walker highlights the importance of spending money ‘wisely, and on the right things’ as savings will depend on having good quality courts, IT infrastructure and judges in place. He notes that access to justice will still depend on access to the services of a cohort of dedicated lawyers.