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International Edition

Paul Lasok: EU referendum would clear air

In the UK, treaty-making is a matter for the Crown acting in conjunction with Parliament. The few instances of referendums and the like are insufficient to give rise to a constitutional convention saying that a referendum must be held if a treaty such as the European Union (EU) Reform Treaty is to be ratified. Whether or not there should be a referendum on the EU Reform Treaty is therefore a political rather than a legal question. This is except for the idea once floated by the Conservative Party of holding a referendum after ratification with a view to backing out of the Reform Treaty if it found against it, which does have legal implications. The professed purpose of such a post-ratification referendum is to engineer a breach by the UK of a legally binding promise that it had entered into freely and in accordance with domestic procedures and processes.
4 minute read

International Edition

Bar Standards Board kicks off root-and-branch review of BVC

The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has launched a root-and-branch review of the Bar Vocational Course (BVC). The review, which will re-evaluate the objectives and implementation of the BVC, will be handled by a 12-member working party chaired by Falcon Chambers tenant Derek Wood QC.
2 minute read

International Edition

Straw will not let judges return to private practice

The convention banning judges from returning to private practice will remain in place after the Government today (5 November) issued its long-awaited response to a consultation paper on the controversial subject. The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Jack Straw, said lifting the prohibition would not increase diversity in the judiciary and that the ban would therefore remain in place.
3 minute read

International Edition

Outer Temple looks east with Abu Dhabi move

Outer Temple Chambers has become one of the first sets to launch an annexe in the United Arab Emirates, it was announced earlier this week (29 October). The annexe will be located in Abu Dhabi and will become the commercial set's first overseas presence when it is officially opened next weekend by business development director Derek Jenkins.
2 minute read

International Edition

Bar regulator in root-and-branch BVC review

The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has launched a root-and-branch review of the Bar Vocational Course (BVC), the body announced today (2 November). The review, which will re-evaluate the objectives and implementation of BVC, will be handled by a 12-member working party chaired by Falcon Chambers tenant Derek Wood QC.
2 minute read

International Edition

Pupillage numbers hold steady but it is not enough, say senior Bar figures

Bar students' prospects of securing pupillages have remained steady for the first time in years, new figures have shown, but senior industry figures believe the number of places on offer needs to increase. Five hundred and twenty-six students were given pupillages between 1 October, 2006 and 30 September, 2007, compared with 515 in the previous year. The news will be warmly received by students hoping to enter the profession, as it is the first time in recent years that the number has not dropped.
3 minute read

International Edition

The Bar: Team spirit

Today's commercial barristers need to be different. They can no longer get away with the 'eccentric genius' profile that still persists in some media depictions of the profession. They must understand the clients they are representing as much as their solicitors, and one of the main attributes instructing law firms insist on is that they are team players. Not only must they have the skills needed to win work and cases in the 21st century commercial arena, the process put in place to achieve the status of Queen's Counsel (QC) since 2005 has meant that the hurdles to jump from pupil to silk have got higher. And questions remain about the future of the Silk system. Last month the selection panel warned that the second round of QC awards was unlikely to be announced before January - 18 months after the first batch of silks were unveiled under the revamped kitemark.
8 minute read

International Edition

The Bar: A fruitful search

It is widely documented that web users are increasingly using search engines as a path to access relevant information. As more information becomes accessible on the internet, business people need a simple and accurate way of finding what they want. These requirements may be for research, for finding goods, services or even trading partners and suppliers. The internet has become an integral part of modern business communications and this raises the question of how much attention your business pays to ensuring that its content is properly accessible to search engines.
8 minute read

International Edition

The Bar: Direct action

As regular readers of Legal Week will almost certainly know, the cultivation of the next raft of talent at the Bar is big news. Back in April this year, the Bar Council launched a consultation on proposals developed by the 'Entry to the Bar' working party. These proposals focused principally on how the profession can best ensure that the Bar is equally open to all, irrespective of socio-economic background, ethnicity, age, gender, or disability.
8 minute read

International Edition

Silk hopes on hold as relaunched award set to miss 2007 QC round

The relaunched QC selection body is unlikely to announce the appointments of any new silks this year, prompting some barristers to question the future - and the credibility - of the recently revamped system. The selection panel, which is responsible for assessing and assigning QC status, said last month that the second round of awards was unlikely to be announced before January - 18 months after the first batch was unveiled under the revamped quality mark.
7 minute read

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