New Bar Council Chairman Liam McCollum QC Opens Legal Year

Lord Chief Justice, Minister Sugden, President of the Law Society, Chair of the Bar of Ireland, Dean of the Faculty, my lords and ladies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen it is my pleasure as the new Chairman of the Bar Council to welcome you to the Inn of Court this evening for this celebration of the opening of the legal year 2016 /17.

I am very grateful to you all for making the time to travel and be with us here this evening.

I have been overwhelmed by the good wishes and congratulations I have received from my colleagues, the judiciary and the solicitors’ profession.

This New Legal Year brings with it renewed challenges of course but, echoing the messages given by the LCJ at this week’s call ceremony, also renewed opportunities with which to apply our skills, energy and dedication to serving the interests of justice that the public and our society rely upon.

The challenges that will be faced by the 19 newest members of the Bar will be different in character to those that I faced when I was called in 1985.

Brexit, digitisation, globalisation, austerity, and increased competition - all of these current and turbulent factors contribute significantly to uncertain and complicated times. Add to that the shocking disappearance of Derry/Londonderry from the electoral map and one can readily appreciate the depth of the challenges ahead.

And yet, challenges are not new to the Bar and complicated times, more than ever, require the knowledge and advice of the legal community - practical experts who can develop long lasting solutions to help us navigate our way through uncertainty; who can examine an issue from all angles and advocate passionately for a just cause.

These core attributes have been demonstrated over many years by many of the esteemed guests present this evening. They are in fact at the core of the Bar’s identity in addition to encouraging our youngest barristers to see the opportunity that challenges can present, I would urge them to avail of the wealth of knowledge and experience that surrounds them within the Bar Library. The skills, principles and values that are ultimately embodied and displayed so strongly within the very highest ranks of the judiciary present here this evening are initially conceived and nurtured throughout one’s career at the
Bar, and the solicitor’s profession. There is a strong tradition at the bar of providing help and guidance to junior members and they should take full advantage of this.

Tonight’s dinner brings together representatives from across the legal profession. Regardless of what role they perform in administering or overseeing the profession, we are united by a common goal of providing the highest possible standard of legal services and justice provision to this society. We at the Bar, are committed to working together towards that common aim and to forging effective partnerships to do so.

I am delighted to see solicitor colleagues represented here so well this evening. We work closely together on a daily basis and share many of the same challenges and issues. We are indeed two branches of the one profession. I particularly welcome the President of the Law Society and the Heads of the local solicitor associations who have been able to attend this evening. It is a personal priority for me, over the tenure of my Chairmanship, to listen, connect and act on matters that you feel the Bar should pay closer attention to. I want you to know that we greatly value your opinion and will be keen to work even more closely with you going forward

I would like to take this public opportunity to pay tribute to my predecessor Gerry McAlinden QC for the leadership and tireless hard work he deployed during his term in office to reach out and build effective
relationships and to congratulate him for his sterling efforts in delivering improvements not only to the Bar but also to all those we work with and represent. Gerry was not a good chairman, he was an outstanding chairman. He oversaw the challenges and problems with calm resolve, decisiveness and dignity. The Bar owes him a huge debt of gratitude. I wish him all the best in his future career at the bar and beyond and I only hope I can move the Bar forward in the way he would have foreseen.

I am determined that over my term in office the Bar will be recognised for making a positive contribution to the work of government and our partners across the sector in relation to shaping policy by means of providing timely advice and insight, contributing to ongoing research to inform new thinking and sharing of knowledge within and across various jurisdictions.

We want to play our part in assisting our local politicians to deliver the Programme for Government and to improving outcomes for the citizens of Northern Ireland with whom we interact on a daily basis. The protection of the clients’ interests are of paramount importance and the public must have absolute confidence in the transparency and effectiveness of our governance arrangements. For those reasons the Bar is ready and keen to engage with the Department of Finance & Personnel on the implementation of the Legal Complaints & Regulation Act and on initiatives such as the Statutory Registration Scheme with the Department of Justice.

Under the leadership of Lord Justice Gillen a significant review of civil and family justice in the jurisdiction is nearing conclusion. The Bar stands ready to play a positive role in taking this work forward.

Collectively all of us in the room contribute to a justice sector of which we should all be rightly proud and which serves the ever diverse and challenging needs of both local and international clients. These clients know that, in Northern Ireland, they are benefitting from a jurisdiction which offers unique advantages of capacity, choice and value. This I am determined will continue.