Richard Atkins QC, Chair of the Bar, comments on the latest appointment of QCs. He said:

In their first blog as new leaders of the Bar, Chair of the Bar Richard Atkins QC and Vice Chair Amanda Pinto QC jointly launch this edition and explain why the centenary – and gender equality – matters to the whole Bar.

Sam Mercer, the Bar Council's Head of Equality & Diversity and CSR, sets out three initiatives the Bar Council will be focusing on in 2019 to support the profession in becoming a more diverse Bar in the future. 

As part of the theme of this year's Bar Conference "All Bar None - Access, Development, Diversification",   the Bar Human Rights Committee (BHRC) hosted a morning session under the banner  "A Global Mission: Championing women in the fight for Human Rights". 

The First 100 Years is a ground-breaking history project, supported by the Law Society, Bar Council and CILEx, charting the journey of women in law since 1919. 

In 2019 we will have difficult decisions to take. But as tempers fray and the political temperature rises, we must all re-commit to treating each other with dignity and respect, writes Andrea Leadsom

A raft of multi-million pound government contracts with consultancy firms on Brexit planning are to be investigated after ministers were criticised for keeping them a “secret”.

A Brexiteer Tory MP has begun wearing a body camera in a bid to record abusive behaviour by protestors gathered outside Parliament.

Dozens of MPs have signed a letter to the head of the Metropolitan Police to demand better protection against abuse from far-right protesters outside Parliament.

Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Sir Ed Davey writes that the attempted Channel crossings by refugees show the Government has failed to take control of UK borders, due to Border Force funding cuts of £40 million since 2015, reducing the number of officers by 600.

Former Conservative ministers are among an independent panel demanding that more than three million new social homes are built in a bid to tackle Britain’s housing crisis.

Dods People draws together a list of appointments in Westminster politics, the devolved administrations and the public affairs sector in the last week.

Richard Atkins QC has become Chair of the Bar Council for 2019, the representative body for all 16,000 barristers in England & Wales. He takes over from outgoing Chair, Andrew Walker QC.

Cabinet ministers Sajid Javid and Gavin Williamson have been accused of abusing the Royal Navy to engage in “juvenile” jostling for the Conservative leadership.

The Bar Council and openDemocracy, the independent media platform, have joined forces to publish a series of videos and articles documenting the real-life effects of legal aid cuts.

Sajid Javid has been accused of breaking international law after he suggested that the hundreds of migrants crossing the English Channel in an attempt to get to the UK may not be "genuine" asylum seekers.

Sajid Javid has suggested that migrants trying to get into the UK by crossing the English Channel may not be "genuine" asylum seekers.

The number of peers could be slashed by removing "passengers" who make little or no contribution to the work of the House of Lords, according to the Lord Speaker.

Sajid Javid has ordered two more Border Force boats to patrol the English Channel in an effort to stop migrants making the perilous crossing from Calais to Dover in small boats.

Sajid Javid has defended his handling of the Channel migrant crisis, saying there are “no easy answers” to the problem.

All three main opposition leaders have now released their New Year messages to a grateful nation, with Britain's impending exit from the EU looming large. PoliticsHome has the round-up.

Sajid Javid has been forced to cut a family holiday short and return to the UK to deal with the escalating crisis of people attempting to cross the Channel and enter Britain illegally.

30 rank and file officers from across England and Wales have been recognised in the 2019 Queen’s New Year’s Honours announced today.

A major tragedy in the English Channel is “only a matter of time” unless the Government can effectively deter those trying to cross the water, ministers have been warned.