Solicitor Advocates – Prejudice from the Bar is "Fact of Life"
A bit of intra-profession sniping… June Venters, who in 2007 became the first female to be made a solicitor QC has told the Gazette that as a solicitor HCA she has experienced hostility and rudeness from barristers and judges before and since becoming a silk. ‘I’ve come across some charming judges and barristers, but there are others who are clearly prejudiced and have made that known to me – it’s just a fact of life.’ It seems that barristers are …
A bit of intra-profession sniping…
June Venters, who in 2007 became the first female to be made a solicitor QC has told the Gazette that as a solicitor HCA she has experienced hostility and rudeness from barristers and judges before and since becoming a silk. ‘I’ve come across some charming judges and barristers, but there are others who are clearly prejudiced and have made that known to me – it’s just a fact of life.’
It seems that barristers are becoming more and more concerned about the threat posed to their prong of the profession by the increasing numbers of higher court advocates. Criticism has been openly levelled at the advocates by members of the Bar and recently by Judge Gledhill, which in turn sparked a response from the chairman of the SAHCA (solicitors association of higher court advocates):
"In recent weeks the standard of solicitor advocacy has been the subject of self-doubt by the profession and high-profile criticism by a circuit judge, HHJ Gledhill. The judicial criticism will undoubtedly be the subject of much discussion and debate. I cannot comment on the substance of the Judge’s complaint. However, I quarrel with the way he did it."
Pistols at dawn?
July 2, 2009
Barristers can be as snotty as they want; change is coming and they are stuck in the dark ages. Not disrespecting their skills (the barristers I have instructed have always been excellent) but the structure of that side of the profession is antiquated and just doesn’t seem prepared for the 21st century.
July 2, 2009
Reps from both sides should settle with a cage fight and have Jeremy Paxman as referee.
July 2, 2009
Banal commenting. The Bar requires particular skills that qualified barristers learn over a period of time and are specifically trained in. To become fluent and excel requires practice like anything else. These are not simply add-ons so it is no surprise that those taking a shortcut are more likely to show failings.
July 3, 2009
I was at the Bar and swapped over (or committed apostacy according to some). There are excellent advocates on both sides and there are some truly awful ones too. Some of the finest advocates I’ve seen have actually been experienced costs draftsmen.
The background should be irrelevent. The skill presented on the day is all that matters.
July 4, 2009
The reality is that the non wigged profession undertake more training, and have more responsibility, in a sense, than the wigged profession. The profession and judiciary in the US and other parts of the English speaking world must look across at us on the few occasions that they do and say, Wow, I wonder if wearing a gown and wig would make me a better advocate on the day. Probably not. But its bloody great fun to pretend we are better, isnt it! No, actually, its shameful, petty and irrelevant, something the Bar should never become.