A new top barrister just took charge and is fighting to keep jury trials. Kirsty Brimelow KC from Doughty Street Chambers, the former head of the Criminal Bar Association, officially started as chair of the Bar Council for England and Wales, replacing Barbara Mills KC. Her immediate focus continues opposing government plans to eliminate jury trials for offenses with sentences under three years, a move Mills and other bar leaders from Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland jointly criticized right before leaving office.
Brimelow outlined other key goals, pushing for more funding across all court systems, with particular emphasis on criminal legal aid while not ignoring family and civil court needs. She also plans to highlight issues affecting children within the justice system. She leads the Bar Council's first entirely female leadership team, with Heidi Stonecliffe KC as vice chair, Lucinda Orr continuing as treasurer, and Amelia Clegg heading the Young Barristers’ Committee. They will be supported by incoming chief executive Jim Morris, a former military assistant to the UK prime minister.
A seasoned criminal and international public law practitioner called to the bar in 1991, Brimelow brings extensive experience from previous leadership roles, including her time leading the Criminal Bar Association, where she negotiated legal aid fee increases through organized action. She also served as a deputy High Court judge and has a strong background in human rights work, consulting for bodies like the UN and helping draft legislation on female genital mutilation protection orders. In her inaugural speech, resistance to the jury trial proposal is expected to be a central theme, echoing the Four Bars' statement that argued juries bring essential public confidence and balanced life experience to the justice system, dismissing claims that the change would ease court backlogs.
Brimelow outlined other key goals, pushing for more funding across all court systems, with particular emphasis on criminal legal aid while not ignoring family and civil court needs. She also plans to highlight issues affecting children within the justice system. She leads the Bar Council's first entirely female leadership team, with Heidi Stonecliffe KC as vice chair, Lucinda Orr continuing as treasurer, and Amelia Clegg heading the Young Barristers’ Committee. They will be supported by incoming chief executive Jim Morris, a former military assistant to the UK prime minister.
A seasoned criminal and international public law practitioner called to the bar in 1991, Brimelow brings extensive experience from previous leadership roles, including her time leading the Criminal Bar Association, where she negotiated legal aid fee increases through organized action. She also served as a deputy High Court judge and has a strong background in human rights work, consulting for bodies like the UN and helping draft legislation on female genital mutilation protection orders. In her inaugural speech, resistance to the jury trial proposal is expected to be a central theme, echoing the Four Bars' statement that argued juries bring essential public confidence and balanced life experience to the justice system, dismissing claims that the change would ease court backlogs.
