Without an injection of faith & finance from the government, Richard Hoyle predicts a bleak future for the young Criminal Bar
The Bar at its best offers the chance to work in an endlessly stimulating environment, made up of increasingly diverse and socially mobile individuals. It still has much to do in these fields, and in others, but progress is being made, and the Young Barristers’ Committee (YBC), which I chair, is an active part of that.
To greater or lesser degrees, barristers operate flexibly, and properly considered, are extremely cost efficient from a client perspective, whether that client is the state or a private party. In percentage terms, the overheads in the form of chambers contributions and rent are generally low, and the vast majority of the barrister’s time is spent on income generation, or career development work, rather than on tasks to which barristers are less well suited. Young barristers are increasingly entrepreneurial, seeking new ways in which to market themselves and to tailor their expertise for different audiences. This bodes well for the future.
However, while individuals and businesses
