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View from the Chair - Summer 2021

Welcome to the latest View from the Chair’s update - providing a snapshot of the work and engagements that I have been undertaking on behalf of the profession over the summer months.

LCJ Meeting: It was an honour to pay tribute to the outgoing Lord Chief Justice on his retirement. I also held my first meeting with our new Lady Chief Justice who takes up post officially from September. We discussed a number of issues, including court business recovery, remote and physical hearings during the months ahead and Bar initiatives around wellbeing and bullying.

Appointments: Congratulations are in order with a number of new appointments across our judiciary - Mark McGarrity as Presiding District Judge (Magistrates’ Court), Ken Duncan as Presiding District Judge and Kathryn Logue as District Judge plus Richard Greene QC, Peter Irvine QC, Fiona Bagnall and Patrick McGurgan as County Court Judges.

v:LIS: June saw the launch of our new Virtual Library and Information Service to all members. This innovative solution allows members to manage all Library research enquiries, BLAG and OBBS requests through one central platform - contact the LIS Team for more information - and please spread the word to instructing solicitors who can now access e-bundles through this service.

Policy Engagement: I’ve held a number of high-level meetings with senior officials in the Department of Justice and the Attorney General. We’ve seen the recommissioning of Banbridge Courthouse and the extension of the Nightingale courts and tribunals venue at Belfast’s International Convention Centre until September. I also held a meeting with all of the Heads of our Bar Associations which has proved useful in terms of ensuring alignment between the Bar Council and Associations on key policy issues.

Four Bars: I met recently with my counterparts in the Bar Council of England and Wales, Faculty of Advocates and Bar of Ireland. We also united to condemn the sanctions announced by the People’s Republic of China government against barristers as well as issuing a statement on the administration of justice post pandemic. I was delighted to join the ‘Four Bars session’ in July as part of a Bar Council of England and Wales meeting on common issues to the profession across our jurisdictions.

Public Consultations: It has been a busy few months with Bar Council submissions on a range of topics, including DOJ consultations on the Publication of Annual Payments to Suppliers of Legal Aid, the Jurisdiction of the County Court and Legal Aid for Mediation in Non-Family Civil Cases.

Bernard Brady QC

Chair of the Bar Council

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