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26 November 2020
Issue: 7912 / Categories: Legal News , Covid-19 , Profession , Constitutional law
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NLJ this week: The Bar in 2020

Bar Council chair Amanda Pinto QC reflects on an unpredictable year, in this week’s NLJ

It was supposed to be about Brexit and criminal legal aid reform. It turned out rather differently, after COVID-19 struck in March. Pinto notes her pride in the way the Bar adapted so quickly. But there were other unexpected events in 2020.

‘We did not foresee the day when the UK government would admit to breaching international law in a “specific and limited way”, writes Pinto.

There was also the ‘pivotal moment of realisation’, after the killing of George Floyd by police officers in the US, that ‘despite our efforts…we had not done enough to address the daily problems and the career trajectories for many of our talented Black members’. 

@thebarcouncil

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Jean-François Le Gal

Penningtons Manches Cooper—Jean-François Le Gal

Penningtons Manches Cooper strengthens international disputes team with appointment of leading arbitration partner

Shakespeare Martineau—Aaron Sanders & Kate Saunders

Shakespeare Martineau—Aaron Sanders & Kate Saunders

Shakespeare Martineau strengthens trust and estates disputes team with new appointments

Bellevue Law—Shannon Moore

Bellevue Law—Shannon Moore

Bellevue Law strengthens employment disputes and international advisory capability with senior associate appointment

NEWS
A divorced woman has secured funding to participate in her former husband’s inquest after the Legal Aid Agency reconsidered repeated refusals
More than 500 former rugby players can pursue brain injury claims despite serious failures to disclose documents ordered by the High Court
Developers in areas with poorly performing councils can apply directly to the Planning Inspectorate for permission under section 62A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990
When does a solicitor’s retainer become a contentious business agreement? The Court of Appeal’s decision in Broadfield Law UK LLP v Barnes shows that listing hourly rates alone will not do, leaving firms and clients uncertain about their rights over bills
MPs cannot simply resign their Commons seats. Instead, they take a nominal Crown office, usually the Chiltern Hundreds or Manor of Northstead, which disqualifies them from sitting
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