I Don’t Believe It
Four months in and occasionally I still have to pinch myself to believe that I have been fortunate enough to be elected as Leader of the South Eastern Circuit. I am thrilled at my appointment and consider it a great honour. Despite not coming from a family of lawyers, since the age of a six, I have dreamt of becoming a barrister and shared this ambition with everyone who would listen to me. Aged seven, my father presented me of a wig which embodied this ambition and I am pleased to tell you that I still wear it today!
Bridging tradition and innovation, I hope all my years of experience make me well placed to understand and represent a wide variety of perspectives. Although I currently practice in crime, I have 12 years experience of a mixed practice and appeared in courts all over the Circuit. This, combined with the work I have done since 1991 in advising and appearing for people and groups over fee matters, means that I am acutely aware of many of the Circuit’s concerns. New issues arise all the time and in order to negotiate most effectively on your behalf, I would be assisted in receiving your first-hand experiences and ideas, rather than relying on anecdotal evidence. Accordingly, please get in touch if you have information and views to share.
It is important to me that membership of the Circuit should be greatly increased, representing all areas of practice. The reason for desiring membership expansion is simply because increased numbers will bring greater benefits and greater influence, in making us both a representative voice and a force to be reckoned with. There are many areas that affect us all where the Circuit’s influence is already being brought to bear. The issue of fees - both publicly and privately funded - in particular, but not exclusively, in family and criminal practices, including VHCCs and Graduated Fees, is an area where further negotiation is essential. In preserving the position of the self-employed Bar and the referral Bar as a whole, our relationship with the CPS (and, in particular, the role of HCAs), Legal Services Commission and the Ministry of Justice needs careful management. Responding to various and diverse consultations such as the remit of the BSB, (in particular Alternative Business Structures), Quality Assurance for Advocates and means testing in the Crown Court will benefit from your views, so please make them known so I can reflect them.
The review of the Queen’s Counsel appointment system has been completed and while no significant changes have been recommended, I am keen to ensure that the system attracts and appoints the best candidates. Where you have concerns, either on a personal level or across the board, please let me know. The latest round of Recorder Competition on the South East Circuit is continuing. Anyone with feedback for me should also get in touch. For all of us on the Circuit, it is our responsibility to share ideas on these topics and others that can be taken forward to the Chairman of the Bar, the Ministry of Justice, the CPS and other relevant parties.
Since January I have been extremely busy in attending regular meetings on behalf of the Circuit. Such meeting are with the Chairman of the Bar, members of Bar Council, Circuit Leaders, senior members of the judiciary, Resident Judges, Bar Messes and SBA Chairs, DPP and senior members of the CPS and the MoJ.
The Circuit has recently hosted a number of highly successful events since the beginning of the year. The first, ‘Against the Odds’, was in fact arranged by David Spens QC as the previous Leader, ably assisted by Mohammed Khamisa QC. This was an event that celebrated diversity and the key speaker was the Attorney General. It was a tremendous success with 400 attendees and was testament to the joint working of many sets of chambers who lent their financial support. The next event was: ‘I Beg Your Pardon’, the Fourth Annual Lecture in honour of Dame Anne Ebsworth where Lord Bingham spoke eloquently about pardons and contrasted the systems and use of the same in the U.S. and U.K. Both CD and transcript of this lecture are available to circuit members and attract 1 CPD point. At the end of March, we held a dinner for David Spens QC to thank him for his time as Leader, presenting him with a set of decanters, and also took this opportunity to thank David Wurtzel for his outstanding contribution as Editor for 4 years of this publication, which he took from strength to strength.
We hosted the Annual Remuneration Conference in May and hold the Resident Judges’ Reception in the same month. We are also finalising the details of the Circuit trip for this autumn, which we hope will be a Eurostar ride away, and are canvassing bids for our 2010 trip - so far the most popular is Malta in May. We are also holding our Annual Dinner on 26 June. Please support this event and you will be rewarded by hearing from a truly great Circuiteer, Mr. Justice Penry-Davy, a past Leader who has kindly consented to be our guest speaker. In addition to our usual advocacy courses in Florida and Keble, Anesta Weekes QC and Anne Cotcher QC are arranging a series of advocacy lectures. Precise details of time and venue will be released shortly but the first speaker will be Michael Mansfield QC, followed by other distinguished ‘masters of advocacy’. I have already met with Herts & Beds, Thames Valley, Central London and Sussex Bar Messes and will continue to visit as many Messes as possible. I am resurrecting the Circuit Roadshows that used to be held in years gone by. I hope this will give me an opportunity to become acquainted with many of you and allow you to put any questions you may have to me directly in person. The first such roadshow will be in Kent this summer.
We bid farewell to Mr. Justice Gross as our Senior Presider. We are very grateful for the support and help he has given us. He is replaced by Mr. Justice Calvert-Smith who I have been working on many issues affecting the Circuit with in recent months. Our other Presiders are Mr. Justice Bean and Mr. Justice Cooke who have been joined by our new Presider, Mr. Justice Saunders, who was Recorder of Birmingham prior to his elevation to the High Court Bench. I have already begun working and liaising with them on your behalf.
Invidious as it may be for a Leader indebted to so many people to single out any particular person for mention, I do want to say a word regarding my predecessor, David Spens QC. He acted tirelessly and effectively on our behalf and he did a magnificent job in advancing our interests. For this, we are indebted to him.
Over the next two years on my watch, I urge each of you, members old and new, to come to me with any concerns you have. If there is anything you would like me to take up on your behalf, please bring it to my attention. Under my leadership, I will do my utmost to make the Circuit grow and prosper. You can hold me to that promise.