ViewFromTheNorth (JHKC) 🐝
@jaimerh354
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Criminal Silk wondering how much longer the CJS can last. All views my own and not Chambers or the Circuit.
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My chambers have put my tips for pupillage into a single pdf available through this link ⬇️
My precious advocacy tips were similarly collated into a single pdf (available in the QT⬇️).
My chambers have kindly put all my advocacy tips from April into a single pdf. Please download if it is of interest to you.
Inspiring Advocacy – Jaime Hamilton's 30 tips... | Nine St John Street
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If the Cummings story pans out the way it appears to be doing, you have witnessed a near perfect piece of advocacy.
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Let me make sure I have got this right .... Certain Tory MPs who voted to deny acquitted defendants their costs if they pay privately are now participating in a whip round to raise the legal fees for this appeal? Have I got that right? This is where they make their stand?
I’m donating to help Darren. It’s time to expose institutional bias.
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The whole Raab thing reminds me of that breed of lawyer who seem to have learnt litigation from TV shows. That everything is Alpha male and confrontational. That leadership is about being strong and being feared. The reality could not be further from the truth.
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I have been critical of a chambers offering an unpaid internship. Thinking about it overnight I thought I should put my money where my mouth is - this summer I will offer 2 weeks paid work experience, paying at least minimum wage.
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If you are tempted to donate money for a bell to sound or a banner to be unfurled then don’t. Stop. Read this. And then donate in the memory of someone taken so very young.
I inherited a desk and drawers in my new job but didn’t have the key until today. When I opened it the stuff from the previous person was still inside it. Shuffling through I stumbled across the order of service for a 21yo girl, Amelia.
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I think lawyers are slightly struggling with “innocent until proven guilty”. Of course that has a definite place as a legal concept. The defendant starts the trial, and indeed the process, with a presumption of innocence that is displaced if the prosecution prove the allegation
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Make no mistake - the actions and cuts of the Conservative Government in the area of criminal justice have made us all less safe. There is barely a person who works in the CJS that would say different.
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Read this and don’t get a lump in your throat if you can.
Wouldn't usually do something like this but there is a lot of good out there. A thread of thanks to
@sainsburys
...
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Everything you hear politicians say about the NHS can be said about the CJS, the Criminal Justice System. Buildings in disrepair, cuts effecting performance, delays, people working under incredible stresses. And yet no politician will say it about the CJS.
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The absolute golden rule at the Bar is that when you make an error you absolutely have to own up to the mistake and deal with it. Never, ever dissemble to try to hide it or avoid the consequence. The AG should remember that.
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This is absolutely brilliant. Please, please read to the end. The whole thing is brilliant.
£20 for a boiled egg, one piece of toast and a mug of tea?
The story of a modern London cafe...
(Read to end of thread before commenting!)
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Hey law students - quick word of advice. This is NOT the law. Thanks.
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My chambers have kindly put all my advocacy tips from April into a single pdf. Please download if it is of interest to you.
Inspiring Advocacy – Jaime Hamilton's 30 tips... | Nine St John Street
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Be more like Luke.
Brighton Argus pg4 lead. I implore you to read the quote from excited shopper Luke Jones.
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I don’t mind admitting that this sort of Tweet really gets my goat. Which one are you good at Darren? Scoring goals in high pressure situations or changing Government policy so that hungry kids get fed? Have you ever, ever done either? Or had the courage to try?
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From 1st January I will be succeeding Lisa Roberts QC as Leader of the Northern Circuit. Delighted and daunted in equal measure. All I can say is that I will do my best on behalf of all circuiteers.
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Today a crown court in England could not sit on a part heard trial until midday because there wasn’t enough staff. This isn’t a political tweet because it is the GE. This is a crisis and a scandal that happens every single day.
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Many of you will have seen a Tweet from a member of the Bar that caused controversy in recent days. I have put my views into a blog.
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You are right. It is the language of someone with an intelligent, nuanced position who doesn’t just see the future as being in opposition.
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But this piece of advocacy with Cummings is so brilliant because it doesn’t just take out him, it could take out every other witness on the same side. The rush of Braverman et al to defend him is more than the advocate would dare to dream.
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I am wondering if the easing of lockdown is being done like the FA Cup draw. Johnson holds a drawstring bag for Trevor Brooking to draw out a ball that says “dentists” and then Tony Adams dips in and pulls out “8th June”.
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Always nice when the Court of Appeal are giving judgment and you think “hang on, I recognise that phrase” and you follow along as they lift an entire paragraph from your written submissions. And yes, I am bragging.
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As a young barrister, I said to myself that if my career had stalled by the time I reached 50, I would change jobs. The landmark has been reached and I am pleased to say I don’t feel the need to retrain. And yes, I am unashamedly inviting birthday salutations!
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@MrHarryCole
The reason we can sneer is because it can’t happen here. We have been way too cognisant of the dangers that come with freely available firearms. It isn’t just geography, it is a moral high ground of which we can be proud.
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I would simply refuse to prosecute or defend such cases. Even if it means I would never work again.
If there really is a plan to restore the death penalty , all lawyers ( not just those specialising in crime ) must mount the strongest opposition to it
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Dear
@TimesLaw
I can confirm that every criticism of the state of the criminal justice system made by
@BarristerSecret
is bang on the money. I adopt every one of his/her words. It is no less valid because they remain anonymous. Countless of us agree. Make that your story.
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Criminal trials should reflect the fair nature of society and in turn, society will often borrow our shorthand phrases for what humans do when judging others. But we fall into error if we think that the criminal process is the only arbiter of whether someone
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Absolutely central to your conduct as a barrister is that if you mislead inadvertently, you immediately accept the error and correct the statement. Whilst this does not spill over into our private lives, one would expect it from someone using their position for media purposes.
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aspiring advocate. Deploy your material with thought and strategy for maximum effect. Don’t go too soon.
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FGS just stop now.
This is not the law. Every single murder has the capacity to cause “terror”, when you step outside a law library and live in the real world.
Terrorism has a statutory definition and it is not just the causing of terror.
@lizziedearden
has a written and
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This is not something my chambers are doing but me personally. I will pay the successful candidate myself. I will consider how the application process will work in the coming weeks. I want someone to have the opportunity to see the Bar and not have to worry about money.
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Well so I guess it is going to be VFTN QC from March. As we say up north Quite Chuffed.
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occasions where we pass judgement on the conduct of others. That conduct can fall short of criminality but can include criminality that gets nowhere near the courtroom.
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This is one of the reasons why “all lives matter” is such an inappropriate take. I have been at the Bar for 27 years and this has happened to me once. Once. This happened to Alex 3 times in ONE court appearance. This is not about those individuals involved. It is about how a
I thought I’d explain what happened today because I’m absolutely exhausted and tbh I think a light needs to be shone on this. Especially given so many people like me seem to experience the same thing.
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I can’t help but feel that feeding children at a time when so many adults have had their ability to earn dented or removed by a public health crisis shouldn’t be an ideological battleground.
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We make decisions about people. Whether we should vote for them, be friends with them, employ them, trust them. Those decisions should be fair decisions. They should not just be made on the basis of a vague assertion. But they can and are made absent cross examination etc.
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to the required standard. That represents an ethical standard that most of us apply to life. It is the antithesis of “no smoke without fire”.
That does not, however, mean that legal processes are the only way that someone can be judged to be found wanting. Life is full of
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I began my career at the now defunct 1 Dr Johnson’s, the chambers of John Mortimer and therefore Rumpole. Yesterday the kind people at
@GoldsmithChambs
let me pop in and have a photo with the board that used to sit in the clerks room
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@JuliaHB1
This completely misrepresents those with pre-existing conditions as being “very sick”. You simply cannot extrapolate that from those stats. Millions and millions of people live for decades with pre-existing conditions. The implication is that these are inconsequential deaths.
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I am half way through
@BarristerSecret
‘s book and the tales are so depressingly familiar that I am beginning to think that I might actually be the Secret Barrister and just haven’t told myself.
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The biggest secret that needs unlocking at the heart of the criminal justice system is the surprising number of “ordinary” people that find themselves on the wrong side of the law. I simply was not prepared for the number of people of good character I would represent.
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So later in the year I am going to be doing something else with regard to paid internships again...but in the meantime I am going to organise a day long advocacy seminar for 10 pre bar course students (either A Level, undergrads or GDL students). Free, of course. Watch this space
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Boris Johnson is the witness/defendant who starts with a lie at about question 3 in cross examination and then it just snowballs from there. We are now at the point where you have your head in your hands and your solicitor is quietly weeping in the corner.
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Please let me cross-examine Boris Johnson. Please.
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24 years ago today, at about this time, I was wheeled down to surgery. A consultant who thought they were close to finishing for the day when she first met me at about 5 then spent 6 hours operating on me. She undoubtedly saved my life. That’s an extra 24 years of not being dead.
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I was told as a pupil that if you can get to court, you can work. I have been in court the day before I ended up hospitalised in the past. I have missed two court hearings through being ill in 27 years. We need clear guidance from the senior judiciary as to what we should do.
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Cad driver: I have never had a Judge in my cab before.
Me: Sorry to disappoint you, but you still haven’t.
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I am seeing a lot of commentary on the policing of public order incidents by many, including some “legal experts”.
Any commentary that does not recognise the unique difficulties of policing such incidents is worthless.
It is not possible or desirable to arrest every 1/6
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All the MPs now rallying to the defence of Priti Patel remind me of all the character references that you choose NOT to put before the Judge prior to sentence. It is lamentable.
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@beelman_matt
@Europawn
Total nonsense. His party is now finished. He had failed in seven consecutive elections. He is a fraud and a fool.
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This is plain wrong. Absolutely, appallingly wrong. It just should not happen - London chambers offers ‘unpaid’ internship lasting up to six months - Legal Cheek
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Personally I would make sure that I was on very solid ground before I went on to TV to criticise the professional performance and conduct of one of my colleagues. I am afraid this is not a valid opinion being expressed here.
‘It is not what you would expect of a scrupulously neutral inquiry.’
Barrister and Writer, Steven Barrett, slams the Covid inquiry as 'predetermined.'
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There are moments in cross examination when you ask the question and you know that if the answer goes one way that’s it, they are done. The skill is in keeping the poker face, waiting for the answer, assessing the answer means what you think and then weighing up when to drop
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Update for people interested in the paid work experience - in a great moment of serendipity I have someone able to fund a third place and a junior willing to give up their time to supervise it. This time it is in Birmingham. So that’s three places up for grabs.
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As a barrister it is my duty to inform the public that 7 years of Tory cuts leave the prosecution of offenders dangerously under funded.
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I see there are a number of jobs going at 10 Downing Street. I make a mean rum daiquiri and a decent martini. My Elvis Presley karaoke is strong. I reckon I am a decent contender.
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This sort of snobbery in the legal profession really gets me angry. The comparison between salary or fee level and intellect and ability. It is arrogant. It is a complete anathema to ideas of social mobility in the profession. It is also a nonsense.
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In the words of Paddington Bear - Thank you, your Majesty. For everything.
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Having taken Silk last March, it is fair to say I have had a good 12 months. Capped off by being awarded Barrister/QC of the year at
#MLA2020
. My class of 93 mate Henry Blackshaw and the glittering Mary O’Rourke QC would have been worthy winners. Thank you.
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In our new way of working please remember some of us will do the standard office hours, others will work in chunks, others will work after the kids have gone to bed. Don't expect an email response by return. Be considerate to our different "time zones".
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Having seen a Tweet about the most famous person you have ever spoken to has prompted me to repost this blog about the most famous person I have ever represented...
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Indeed many of us will have explained to juries that the decision they are making, applying the standard that they are sure, are not something to be afraid of but the type of decisions they make in everyday life.
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This sort of legal intellectual snobbery really gets my goat. To slightly butcher a well known phrase - come and have a go at hearsay and examination in chief, if you think you are hard enough.
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The Bar listening to speeches outside Preston Crown Court as part of the continuing action. The future of the CJS requires an immediate and substantial injection of money that finds its way to practitioners NOW, not in 2024.
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Every day for the month of April I am going to post an advocacy tip. I make no guarantees that they will be worth following, but they will be here!
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I was left to “fester” for 7 years in a state school….didn’t turn out so bad.
@tom_nuttall
Don’t differentiate teaching because it is about equality of opportunity. And you know he or she is a maths or english or engineering super brain. And that they will be left to fester for 7 years. Or do you find the money for private or try for bursary.
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I have to confess, if you are doing law, then people will occasionally disagree with your view of the law. It is absolutely inherent in what we do. If, in fact, you are doing a career in media, then perhaps you don’t want debate.
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The Brexit Party got less votes than people signed the petition to Revoke Article 50.
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the bomb. You might not do it with the next question or the question after that, as this is the skill of the advocate. You have set it up and then you spring the trap. Doing it even half perfectly is, in itself, perfection.
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2nd May 2022 the law was changed so that Magistrates had the power to send more people to prison for longer.
30th March 2023 the law was changed back to 6 months.
October 2023 the law is going to be changed and Magistrates sending people to prison will become the exception.
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I am one of many Silks who met tonight to provide assistance and advice to members of the criminal bar with the difficult decisions and actions that face us in the next few weeks. Please seek help where needed. The CBA and Circuits will always help.
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If you believe that the decision of the Supreme Court was designed to frustrate Brexit then you acknowledge that the prorogation of parliament was a tool to deliver Brexit.
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It’s
#notallmen
. But saying that is trite. It’s obviously not all men. Saying it is almost always men and that all men can, recognises the problem. You can either recognise the problem or be part of the problem. Until all men recognise the problem, we have a problem.
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I suspect in the coming years we will have a Prime Minister called Rishi.
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When Johnson is finished, we must remember all those that rallied to him and defended him.
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I am not saying that this true. Others can determine that. But it has been deployed brilliantly. It would be so tempting to run the whole story at once as a “get out of that” moment. Advocates fall into the same trap. It is the art of the set up which is the lesson for the
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Can’t help but feel that the rules and guidance is now being changed to reflect what people are already doing in an effort to make it appear the Govt are still in control.
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I recently conducted a trial with ten defendants. There were 21 counsel involved. We had reached the point of defence speeches. Some of the defendants were in custody.
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What an incredible surprise. Conservative MP shows the need to consult a lawyer by getting the law wrong whilst taking a vile swipe at lawyers for doing their job.
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This from Keir Starmer is incredibly poor. Very, very poor.
Attacking a statue = 10 years in prison
Rape sentences = 5 years in prison
Nothing on outlawing street harassment.
Labour won't support the Conservatives' Bill which doesn’t tackle violence against women and girls.
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I am going to do an advocacy workshop for 10 students in pairs of two in some online training. Please follow this account for how to get your place!
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“Newly enforced laws and restrictions”. Am sure any competent lawyer would point out the nonsense of this premise before going any further.
We are thrilled to announce that
@SBarrettBar
will be joining us as guest speaker tomorrow to help us navigate these newly enforced laws and restrictions
You never know, there may be a way to still post our views and keep ourselves out of jail
Come and join us.
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Chambers had a function this evening that ended with lots of leftover food. So we delivered it to a homeless shelter.
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One billion for DUP votes to keep May in power. Legal aid budget was £1.6 billion before the cuts. Power is more important than protection.
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The Criminal Bar will only survive this situation if the Government finally recognise an essential truth - we are a vital cog in the machinery of a democratic society. Importantly we provide the majority advocacy services for the Prosecution of offences in the Crown Court.
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I recently observed an eminent QC rebuke a trainee lawyer that she "(rightly) won't go far in the law if you conduct yourself like that" concerning something she had tweeted. Turns out you can get very far and still, occasionally, display an appalling lack of judgement.
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No one should be left in any doubt that a very small number of dedicated members of the CBA are doing a tremendous amount of work on behalf of us all. Unpaid.
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Ok. I may be 25 years in but I am a late bloomer....as chuffed to have received this tonight as I would have been had I got it 2 years in.
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That there is a body of political thinking amongst us which goes “right that’s Brexit done, now for the death penalty” makes me want to weep.
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If you have high standards, carry others up to meet those standards. Encouragement and support will surely get you more than harsh words and constant criticism.
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It’s the plea on day two of the trial, after an application to dismiss and when the cross-examination of the first witness has gone badly. No contrition from the accused Sunak. No remorse from the accused Johnson. Just sorry they got caught.
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Well I do spend more time on social media than representing my clients at the moment because the Government have singularly failed to provide adequate resources to the court system before and during the pandemic. I should add this isn’t mild criticism.
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The CJS is not a business. It is not an area of Government where every piece of the pie should be run for profit. It is a system that should be run for the efficient administration of justice. At the moment it isn’t.
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In a pretty crowded field, Liz Truss’s aim to lower the number of murders by 20% is the most meaningless political statement on criminal justice policy I can recall by a politician.
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I really do have the pleasure today to provide advocacy training to 17 fabulous students. I cannot begin to describe how high the standard is amongst a group that are yet to go to Bar School. Thank you to all my colleagues that have provided their time today to help.
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Oooooo this is me.
We are delighted to note that Gray's Inn Member, Jaime Hamilton KC, has been appointed as Leader of the Northern Circuit for a period of 3 years.
He was called to the Bar by Gray's Inn in 1993, before developing his practice in criminal law.
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Gove has become the very worst of modern politics.
Tonight I went to Channel 4 to talk about climate change but Jeremy Corbyn and Nicola Sturgeon refused to debate a Conservative
#climatedebate
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I know a lot of you will have been disappointed this week with your quest for pupillage. In a different age and under a different system I made over 100 applications that didn’t even result in a first interview. It only takes one.
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@BarristerSecret
A judge went out to consider sentence. He came back in and asked for my assistance on a point. I patiently pointed out that I had not been one of the counsel in that case, trying not to call the judge an idiot. Of course I was one of the counsel in the case. I have no idea what
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