The Bar Council

28/05/2026

There can be no dispute that there are repeated and widespread failures to deliver defendants to court on time.

Barristers have told us that delays are now ‘routine’ and ‘endemic’.

Kirsty Brimelow KC, speaking to the Times, explained that these delays are worsening the Crown Court backlog: "The result is that hours and sometimes whole days are wasted in courts each day.

"PECS is one of many broken links in the chain responsible for ensuring individuals in custody are in court for their case...

"This must be addressed urgently rather than any more time and resource being wasted on limiting jury trials."

If you experience a delay, please tell us about it through our dedicated PECS delay form: https://bit.ly/4dB0DMx

Read more in the Times⤵️

18/05/2026

Today the government has published a Youth Justice White Paper, which proposes a range of measures to stop young people falling into crime.

We've welcomed this proactive approach to the treatment of children in the criminal justice system, but funding must be sufficient and must not lag behind.

Bar Chair Kirsty Brimelow KC has called for a shift from criminalisation to rehabilitation.

Read more in Law Gazette⤵️

08/05/2026

"If the government replaces proposals for judge-only trials with trials by a judge plus two magistrates we are out of the frying pan and into the fire."

Chair Kirsty Brimelow KC's letter to the Times today sets out why we are completely opposed to any restriction on jury trials.

Read on (subscription required)⤵️

07/05/2026

There is no evidence that limiting the right to a jury trial will bring down the Crown Court backlog.

In fact, new data has shown that tried and tested, targeted initiatives are working to bring down the backlog already.

Removing the cap on the number of days that judges can sit, for example, has "significantly" reduced the backlog in areas in England and Wales.

The government should focus on what will work rather than waste time and resource on an unnecessary change to jury trials.

Read more in the Times (subscription required)⤵️
https://bit.ly/3R7nW7N

Increased sitting days and higher crown court disposal rates are successfully reducing the backlog of cases

07/05/2026

In early December, the government said it would address the shortage of criminal barristers by investing £34 million in legal aid.

Five months later and no progress has been made. Our Chair Kirsty Brimelow KC has now written to the government and asked that this be expedited.

We're concerned that the government’s focus on restructuring the criminal justice system and restricting jury trials is resulting in insufficient resource to implement the much needed and awaited investment that would make a difference to the backlog now.

Read on⤵️

03/05/2026

Meet Tina.

She is one of the barristers who features in our Speak for Success resources, our new programme aiming to support primary school children develop their oracy skills.

Barristers demonstrate excellence in these skills in their daily working lives – whether that’s forming a narrative, delivering well-structured arguments or using evidence and persuasive reasoning.

Each lesson plan is brought to life by including case studies from barristers to explain how they use these skills.

Tina's advice?

She said: "Before you speak, ask yourself: What do I want the listener to understand or feel? What’s the most important message within the sentence? Your tone can help you get that message across."

02/05/2026

"Really inspiring" "Deeply personal" "A powerful forum"

Just some of the feedback from this week's Ukraine law day 2026, building on the success and impact of last year's inaugural event.

More than 100 attendees, including legal professionals, judges, academics and policymakers from both the UK and Ukraine, joined us to hear from panels on a range of topics.

Speakers discussed new legal mechanisms for ensuring effective accountability for war crimes, the best forum for resolving defence-sector disputes (arbitration v litigation) and the rebuilding of Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

Thank you to our event partners, the Ukrainian Bar Association and Spilka for their support.

01/05/2026

Register now to join this year’s Anglo-Dutch Exchange visit to the Netherlands from Tuesday 30 June to Friday 3 July🌷

Find out about the Dutch legal system, visit the Hague, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, and network with lawyers. This year’s trip includes a visit to the Supreme Court, a gala dinner and much more.

If you're in PCF band one, you can apply for bursary support for the exchange. When you complete the expression of interest form, tick the box to find out more about the bursary.⤵️

29/04/2026

The government has rejected calls to bring in specialist r**e courts rather than curtail the right to jury trial - despite it being a Labour manifesto pledge.

We're now urging MPs to bring back the proposals for specialist courts when the Courts and Tribunals Bill continues after the King’s Speech.

Unlike the restricted jury trial proposal, specialist courts have been shown to work. At Preston Crown Court, this approach saw a 16% reduction in waiting time for their case to be listed when applied to domestic abuse cases.

Read more⤵️

28/04/2026

Claire Davies KC has been elected as the Vice Chair of the Bar Council for 2027.

The criminal silk and current Leader of the South Eastern Circuit will join Heidi Stonecliffe KC, elected as Chair, and Lucinda Orr, re-elected as Treasurer, alongside Dame Maria Miller, Bar Commissioner for Conduct, as the Bar Council Officer team for 2027.

Alongside the Bar Council and Criminal Bar Association, Claire has been heavily involved in the Bar’s ‘Justice needs juries’ campaign, organising court visits for MPs and giving oral evidence to the Public Bill Committee for the Courts and Tribunals Bill.

Commenting on her election, Claire Davies KC said: “It is an honour to be Vice Chair of the Bar Council for 2027.

“I am committed to continuing the vital work already being undertaken to oppose the curtailment of jury trials. We must ensure we have a justice system representative of the society it serves and one which increases access to justice for all. I welcome the planned initiatives to improve efficiency within our criminal justice system. By embracing the increased use of technology to modernise the way we work we can deliver better outcomes for justice while improving practitioner wellbeing.

“A focus of mine will be retention of practitioners, encouragement of the talent already at the Bar and recruitment into our profession. This is central to our future and that includes ensuring a properly funded public Bar. "