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02 August 2007 / Duncan Matthews
Issue: 7284 / Categories: Features , Profession
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Excellence, not exclusivity, should be equated with the Bar, says Duncan Matthews QC

The Bar has long been committed to recruitment on merit alone, without regard to matters which are irrelevant to performance and unfairly discriminatory. Discrimination in recruitment on grounds of such matters as sex, race, religion are not only illegal and contrary to the Bar’s Code of Conduct; they are also counter-productive in building a strong profession. There is a perception that there are barriers to entry to the Bar which operate unfairly to discourage some good candidates.

In recognition of this, the Bar Council, with the active support of the Inns of Court, established the Entry to the Bar Working Party, chaired by Lord Neuberger, in late 2006 to investigate how to reduce barriers to entry for minority and socially and economically disadvantaged students. In this context, a perceived barrier is as damaging as a real barrier, not least to the extent that it deters good candidates from applying to the Bar.

INEQUALITIES

There are certain barriers which it is extremely difficult,

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Cripps—Radius Law

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Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

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Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

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Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

NEWS
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NLJ this week: Tightening the screws on JCT terminations
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
NLJ this week: Old rules, fresh warnings in employment law
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
NLJ this week: The rise of the ‘ChatGPT client’ rattles the profession
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
NLJ this week: Surrogacy children caught in succession gap
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
NLJ this week: Online safety law at a crossroads
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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