Bar Conference 2024 to discuss international courts, AI and private prosecutions
updated on 26 April 2024
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Bar Conference 2024, taking place on 8 June, will consider ‘what’s next for justice’ in England and Wales, following challenges to public spending and growing court backlogs.
The Bar Council has announced three headline speakers, Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, the Lord Chancellor Rt Hon Alex Chalk KC MP, and Shadow Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood MP, who’ll take part in Q&A discussions.
The conference outline involves panel discussions on a range of big debates, including AI’s place in the justice sector, considering potential threats and ethical questions. The Post Office scandal is also on the agenda in a panel that’ll discuss how far suggested reforms to private prosecution should go. In addition, the international panel debate will discuss the effectiveness of international courts.
The programme also includes a range of sessions to support learning and development, on topics such as earnings and work allocation, futureproofing practice through alternative dispute resolution, and navigating ethical dilemmas at the Bar. Dr Paul Redmond, from the University of Liverpool, is going to deliver a session on navigating the intergenerational differences between the four generations currently working at the Bar: baby boomers, generation X, millennials and generation Z.
The Lifetime Achievement in Pro Bono award, the Sydney Elland Goldsmith Award, will also be presented at the conference by the Lord Chancellor.
Chair of the Bar, Sam Townend KC, said: “Bar Conference offers something for everyone. It’s a chance for the whole Bar to come together to grapple with the biggest challenges facing the justice sector. In a general election year, it’s more important than ever that barristers have the chance to hear from those who have the power to shape the justice system – and that they get to hear views from the Bar.”
