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Spread the wealth

31 January 2014 / Sir Geoffrey Bindman KC
Issue: 7592 / Categories: Features
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Geoffrey Bindman QC calls for fairer funding for legal education

I had the privilege of taking my law degree (in fact two of them) at Oxford University. As a result I receive the beautifully printed and illustrated Oxford Law News —the annual report of its Faculty of Law, recording the very impressive achievements of faculty members and alumni, many of whom are among the most distinguished legal scholars, judges and legal practitioners in Britain and overseas.

Hart-beat

In my student days in the 1950s I had the good fortune to sit at the feet of such eminent scholars and teachers as Herbert Hart, FH Lawson, Rupert Cross, and others whose published works are still greatly valued. Of course, I do not suggest that the law teaching elsewhere was any less good.

When I graduated, the City law firms and barristers’ chambers were still quite casual about recruitment. My own experience was probably typical. At the time I was looking towards a career at the Bar. I “ate dinners”. I chose Gray’s Inn because

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Quinn Emanuel—James McSweeney

Quinn Emanuel—James McSweeney

London promotion underscores firm’s investment in white collar and investigations

Ward Hadaway—Louise Miller

Ward Hadaway—Louise Miller

Private client team strengthened by partner appointment

NLJ Career Profile: Kate Gaskell, Flex Legal

NLJ Career Profile: Kate Gaskell, Flex Legal

Kate Gaskell, CEO of Flex Legal, reflects on chasing her childhood dreams underscores the importance of welcoming those from all backgrounds into the profession

NEWS
Overcrowded prisons, mental health hospitals and immigration centres are failing to meet international and domestic human rights standards, the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) has warned
Two speedier and more streamlined qualification routes have been launched for probate and conveyancing professionals
Workplace stress was a contributing factor in almost one in eight cases before the employment tribunal last year, indicating its endemic grip on the UK workplace
In NLJ this week, Ian Smith, emeritus professor at UEA, explores major developments in employment law from the Supreme Court and appellate courts
Writing in NLJ this week, Kamran Rehman and Harriet Campbell of Penningtons Manches Cooper examine Operafund Eco-Invest SICAV plc v Spain, where the Commercial Court held that ICSID and Energy Charter Treaty awards cannot be assigned
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