THE NORTH EASTERN CIRCUIT
That only a third of the Bar practises outside London does not mean that the Circuits are not vital to the Bar nor that they have no influence. The North Eastern circuit is home to some of the strongest advocates in the country and we are proud of the variety and quality of our work.
Whilst many challenges and obstacles face the future of the Bar, life on Circuit is flourishing. This is not the land of the so called "fat cats" as most of the work carried out on circuit is publicly funded . However standards of advocacy are of the highest and a mixture of integrity and co-operation result in the efficient progress of cases through the courts.
In Leeds and Newcastle the Chancery and Mercantile courts have proved a success. The growing importance of Leeds as a commercial centre is indicated by the number of firms of solicitors moving to the City. To encourage local solicitors to recognise and foster expertise in Leeds an initiative has been established between the Bar and solicitors involving the joint presentation of seminars. In May the Vice Chancellor is visiting the Circuit and will meet with local practitioners.
The Recorderships of Newcastle, Sheffield, York and Bradford, as well as the official Recordership of Leeds, are indicative not only of renewed civic pride in local legal practitioners but also of the quality and quantity of work on Circuit. Indeed this year sees the second visit of the Court of Appeal to sit in Newcastle.
An advantage of practicing on a small Circuit is that practitioners know each other, there is a friendly and supportive atmosphere with senior members always accessible and willing to help. This does not make for cosy complacency as competition is fierce; it does however assist in policing standards. I am quite satisfied that the high standards of work and ethics on Circuit justifies the hope that appointments to judicial office can be made from the large pool of highly qualified local practitioners who have given so much to the legal system on Circuit throughout their working lives and often longer.
Circuit was one of the first to offer training at all levels to keep costs to the minimum whilst maintaining standards and taking into account local needs. When the Bar was required to undertake human rights law training, Circuit rallied making the effort to provide its own courses at minimum cost to circuiteers.
It isn?t of course all work and there is a strong social and welfare element including many sports teams.There is also mess and most importantly Grand Court our business meeting at which policies are discussed and voted upon.
Life on Circuit is important however so too is involvement in the running of the Bar. The North Eastern Circuit is one of the furthest from London but even so members make the time to get to London and back in the day to represent our views at Bar Council meetings. In so doing they prevent policy decisions on behalf of the Bar being exclusively London orientated and dominated. This is important because often life and experiences on circuit are very different from those in London and the North Eastern Circuit is well represented on the committees of the Bar Council so that wherever possible our views are expressed.
There are frequent attacks on the Bar by those who should and do know better, mounted without justification perhaps to deflect from the real issues of the day. We face the recommendations contained in the Auld Report, the question of direct access, solicitors and the CPS exercising higher rights of audience and graduated fees; as a Circuit we are prepared and able to meet those challenges if the playing field is equal because we believe that the service we offer combines value for money and the highest standards of advocacy.
As a local it never occurred to me that there was any reason to practice anywhere other than on the North Eastern Circuit and it is a decision I have never regretted.
Louise Godfrey QC
Leader of the North Eastern Circuit
May 2002
