England

English prisons are virtually full, according to new figures showing fewer than 100 places now left across the male prison estate. According to the BBC, there were a record 84,596 inmates in the male prison estate as of Friday 23 August.

An English pupil barrister who swore throughout an ethics exam has been fined £500. Jack Henry Sadler told the Bar Standards Board (BSB) that he was unaware – despite being told – that he could be heard and was being recorded during the professional ethics assessment, which he took

Judges can use generative AI technology like ChatGPT to assist in producing judgments but should not use them for legal research, landmark new guidance in England and Wales sets out. The new judicial guidance on AI states: "Judges are not generally obliged to describe the research or preparatory wor

Nearly half of barristers in England and Wales have experienced or witnessed bullying, harassment and discrimination in their legal work, according to new research by the Bar Council. In the most recent survey, 44 per cent of respondents said they had experienced or observed this behaviour while wor

A record number of trials in England and Wales have been delayed because of an inability to find judges. Analysis by the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) and The Independent found that 51 trials were delayed on this basis between April and June 2023 – more than double the average in the five yea

Forced marriage "remains rife" in England and Wales in spite of legislation introduced more than 15 years ago in a bid to end the practice, new research shows. The research on Forced Marriage Protection Orders (FMPOs), a civil injunction designed to prevent forced marriages, uncovers the scale of th

The English barristers' regulator has been asked to discipline Home Secretary Suella Braverman for expressing "racist sentiments and discriminatory narratives". Nine legal and faith organisations have complained to the Bar Standards Board (BSB) about Ms Braverman, who is a qualified barrister but ha

English solicitors could be given more advocacy rights under UK government plans to break the barristers' strike, according to reports. The Daily Mail quotes a government source as saying ministers "are looking to give more solicitors higher rights of audience to broaden the work they can do, increa

Fines will no longer be used as a penalty in the vast majority of cases of sexual misconduct, discrimination or any form of harassment by English and Welsh solicitors under proposals published by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). A consultation launched yesterday on the SRA's fining regime

Criminal law barristers have overwhelmingly voted to strike as part of their legal aid dispute with the UK government. Following a ballot of 2,500 members, the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) said it would pursue "the highest form of escalation", consisting of "days of action combined with both no re

An English barrister who mocked and humiliated opposing counsel at a hearing has been fined £1,500 by the Bar Standards Board (BSB). Althea Sonia Brown was found to have "improperly undermined, insulted, humiliated and/or annoyed" the opposing barrister, named NC, and/or "was in the circumstan