The criminal bar is traditionally known to be dominated by wealthy, white, old men. Shrouded in elitism, it has always been difficult for those from low-income and BAME backgrounds to break into the sector. And now, once they’ve overcome the barriers placed in front of them, junior barristers are being forced out. From cuts to…

Contentious probate cases deal with disputes that relate to an individual’s estate once they are deceased. However, they are often complex and acrimonious. Whether an individual has had a secret second family, they were coerced into changing their will prior to death, or simply mistakes were made in the will writing, there are a plethora…

Currently in the UK, there is a blanket ban on assisted dying, which is punishable by up to 14 years in prison. This is despite decades of campaigning by groups such as “Dying in Dignity” and a plethora of terminally ill individuals seeking to end their life legally. Opponents say that legalising assisted dying would…

Deepfake technology has been on the rise since 2017, with the AI blurring the line between reality and fiction. And, although deepfake pornography accounts for 96% of the deepfake videos online, it’s gradually moving into other areas. One of those areas being the courtroom. This first became apparent in 2019 where, in a custody battle,…

In 2018, PC Andrew Harper, a 28-year-old newlywed, was killed by three teenagers in a robbery gone wrong. The defendants, Henry Long, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, dragged PC Harper to his death, after his ankles became trapped in a strap attached to their getaway car. All three were cleared of murder, and charged instead…

Since 2015, Automated Facial Recognition (AFR) technology has been creeping into the UK, and has been used by three police forces so far. The controversial technology scans peoples faces in public places, and then compares the biometric data collected from that, to persons of interest on the police’s watchlist. Many of these operations have been…

This year so far, the number of asylum seekers travelling across the Channel to the UK by boat, has reached just over 4,000. In June alone, the number of those travelling from France to the UK, stood at 2,000. That’s four times the number recorded for the whole of 2018. Many of those seeking refuge…

Three years ago, a controversial policy was introduced under Theresa May’s government. Section 162 of the Policing and Crime Act, suddenly forced defendants to declare their nationality in their first appearance at a criminal court trial. The legislation, part of the Conservative government’s “hostile environment” regime, received significant backlash. Many claimed that it contributed to…

On the 31st July, the Government announced the launch of an independent review of administrative law, with a panel of experts. This will involve investigating the scope of judicial review, and examine whether the Supreme Court has become “too politicised,” as determined by Prime Minister (PM) Boris Johnson. Arguably, this decision to interrogate the role…

In July of last year, the Bar Standards Board (BSB), published its new transparency rules, along with guidance to ensure that those within the profession understood and complied with them. The changes were made in response to recommendations of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). As such, the rules outline that chambers, self-employed barristers, BSB-regulated…