Sarah Ramsey QC: The Meaning of Justice

Bar Chair Sarah Ramsey QC shares her reflections on what justice and the rule of law mean to her as a practitioner working in Northern Ireland’s courts as part of Justice Week 2020.

“The rule of law is a precious asset; it underpins our democracy, freedoms and civil society in Northern Ireland. It is the principle that the law applies to all and that no-one, including the Government, is above that law. Yet ultimately it is dependent upon several vital components to function effectively – meaningful access to justice for all plus an independent judicial system and legal profession.

The law runs through the whole of our society, touching everything from big constitutional issues to the right to a fair trial. Reflecting on our justice system in NI, I observe that lawyers and members of the independent referral Bar plays a vital role in these issues through their work in upholding the rule of law. As independent professionals, their entire purpose is to selflessly serve, fearlessly and rigorously, their clients’ interests in all manner of cases. In a society with a history of conflict and division, we are even more alive to the need to guard such independence, never taking it for granted, as it enshrines our rights to access to justice and a fair legal system.

My own practice is based primarily in the family courts and on a daily basis I see a system which is dealing with emotive and very complex issues of significant importance. But often the law can seem like an impenetrable world to many of our young citizens who only see it through selective media reports and television dramas. So how do we connect the dots and make the rule of law something which our younger citizens and the wider public view as something which is important to their own lives?

The Bar of Northern Ireland’s involvement in Justice Week aims to play a role in starting to change the conversation on this, placing rule the rule of law and justice at the heart of public discourse. At a time of widespread discussion in the UK, Ireland and beyond about citizens’ rights and obligations, the role of Government and the rule of law, today’s theme of ‘Defending Democracy’ gives us the space to think about what more we can do to scrutinise and promote the world of law and make it easier to understand for our young people. After all, having a public that is well informed about legal issues and the role of lawyers within it is crucial to protect the freedoms that we so often take for granted, to enforce our rights and to protect our democracy”.

Find out more about the event the Bar is holding today as part of Justice Week 2020.