4 NEWS


By Catherine Baksi » Half of all barristers will be able to deal with cli-


ents directly by next year, bypassing solicitors, according to bar-commis- sioned research. The second Barris- ters’ Working Lives report, published by the Bar Council and the Bar Stand- ards Board, says that one in five bar- risters plans to complete new public access training. That will swell the ranks of the bar


trained to work directly with clients to nearly 7,500 – almost half the entire bar – from the current 4,400. Mean- while, one in seven barristers (14%) plans to apply for authorisation to


www.lawgazette.co.uk Surge in bar public access training


conduct litigation. The second biennial survey, which provides a snapshot of the bar across the years from 2011 to 2013, also reveals the impact of public funding cuts. Of the self-employed barristers in criminal practice who responded to the survey, 67% reported that their earnings had fallen between 2011 and 2013. Some 58% said that they were not satisfied with their job and were either planning to change or consid- ering their options. Almost a fifth of criminal barristers


(18%) stated that they intend to leave the profession. Four out of five (78%


of criminal barristers and 77% of fam- ily barristers) who said that they were considering a change in employment gave legal aid cuts as a reason. Despite a reported increase in workloads, 39% of barristers engaged in pro bono work and 36% of all barristers were involved in other char- itable legal work. The sur-


vey also


showed that most barristers (63%) are male, and one in 10 is from a BME background. BSB chair Lady Deech QC (pictured) said a rise in the number of barristers people can access directly is ‘good


news for consumers’ as it will increase choice and potentially bring down costs. ‘Allowing these barristers to conduct litigation will help take the administrative burden off members of the public,’ she added.


23 June 2014


SRA warned over reforms aſter ‘rushed’ consultation


By Gazette newsdesk » The Solic- itors Regulation Authority board is


to consider sanctioning far-reaching reforms of compliance at a meeting on 2 July, amid warnings that the plans are not supported by evidence and solicitors are not ready. Last Wednesday, the regulator


closed a six-week consultation on the proposals, which include radical changes to professional indemnity insurance (PII), the compensation fund, multidisciplinary practices and accountants’ reports. Law Society chief executive Des-


mond Hudson said six weeks was just not long enough to consult on such fundamental reforms. On PII, he stressed, ‘firms, insurers and brokers


will have insufficient time to adjust their businesses in time for the 1 Octo- ber implementation, which could mean that no cover will be provided for lenders in residential house trans- actions. Yet these changes could see the immediate removal from panels of hundreds of firms.’


He added: ‘Unfortunately, the announcement has raised expectations among some firms that they will ben- efit from cuts in premiums and fewer reporting obligations. The reality of the proposals may be different; under the threat of regulatory sanctions, firms will have to demonstrate that they have purchased sufficient insurance above the new lower limits to cover risks which are currently covered in their policies. For some firms, removing the need to submit an accountant’s report will be a saving, albeit the COLP or COFA will have to certify compliance. Many firms will have to continue to produce the report as a requirement for their clients, COFA and PII insurers or their bankers.’


Removing client protections will


prompt lenders to minimise their expo- sure to risk, he added. This could mean a big fall in the number of firms which act on their panels, introducing greater controls on those they retain, he said. Meanwhile, watchdog the Legal


Services Consumer Panel said that there is not enough evidence to jus- tify radical reform of PII. It opposes a proposed cut in the mandatory min- imum to £500,000, querying what gains would ensue. ‘Should the savings to consumers


not materialise as a result of the pro- posed changes, consumers would lose current protections but without gain- ing anything,’ it warned. â lawgazette.co.uk/news


Queen honours pioneer Morris


By Catherine Baksi » Lady Morris of Kenwood, one of the longest con-


tinuously practising women members of the Law Society, was among the legal figures featured in the Queen’s Birth- day Honours list. Ruth Morris, admit- ted in 1957, was the first woman senior partner of a substantial law practice. She received a CBE for services to the community. Family solicitor Sunita Mason, a for-


mer chair of the Society’s family law committee and district judge at Peter-


borough County Court, was made a CBE for her work as an independent adviser to the home secretary and for services to public protection. An OBE went to Pam Kenworthy,


former legal director of Yorkshire firm Howells, for services to legal aid. David Hodson, partner at The Inter-


national Family Law Group, received an OBE for services to international family law. John Ward, a consultant with Lancashire firm Napthens, was awarded the OBE for charitable and


voluntary services in the county. In the City, Graeme Nuttall, tax and


structuring partner at Field Fisher Waterhouse, received the OBE for his work on developing government policy on employee ownership, employee share schemes and public service mutuals. Claimant clinical negligence barris-


ter at Serjeants’ Inn, Robert Francis QC, who led the inquiries into the failures at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, was given a knight-


hood for services to health care. Members of the Crown Prosecution


Service featured strongly in the list. There were OBEs for Karen Jones, Crown advocate in the special crime and counter-terrorism division; Der- rick Kelleher, head of operations in the National Crime Agency’s organised crime command; and David Thomas, senior legal business adviser, for ser- vices to digital transformation. Paula Bartlett, area operational delivery man- ager at Wessex CPS, received an MBE.


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