Criminal Justice Matters

The  Criminal Justice Matters podcast series concludes its focus on stars and trailblazers of the Criminal Bar with this episode in which Kirsty Brimelow KC, former Chair of the CBA, speaks to one of the Criminal Bar’s most renowned figures, Courtenay Griffiths KC. Courtenay was called to the Bar in 1980 and appointed QC in 1998 at a time when black barristers were rare in the courts of England and Wales. If you name a serious high-profile case over the previous four decades, it is likely that Courtenay would have appeared defending. He defended in the Brighton hotel bombing, the Harrods Bombing, the Canary Wharf Bombing, the Dartmoor Riot,  the Blakelock murder, the Damilola Taylor murder and the Charles Taylor trial in the Hague.Courtenay is a social justice champion and a mentor and inspiration to successive generations.This podcast includes the use of a racist term of abuse which some listeners may find offensiveCriminal Justice Matters is produced by Adam Batstone Media & Communications Find out more about the CBA from the website Criminal Bar Association or follow the CBA on Twitter @TheCriminalBar

This is the second of three episodes of Criminal Justice Matters series in which we hear from some of the stars and trailblazers who have come from a diverse range of backgrounds to achieve successful careers as criminal barristers.Chair of the Criminal Bar Association of England and Wales, Kirsty Brimelow KC, talks to Laurie-Anne Power KC, who was called to the Bar in 2000 and practises in serious and complex crime from 25 Bedford Row Chambers in London. Laurie-Anne has had senior roles within the Criminal Bar Association and she is part of the Bar Council's equality and social mobility committee. She explained how her experience of racism and injustice at a young age prompted her to take an interest in the law and pursuing a career at the Criminal Bar.Jaime Hamilton KC is leader of the northern circuit for the CBA and deputy head of 9 St John Street Chambers, in Manchester. A native Mancunion, Jaime explains how despite going to a school with no history of preparing pupils for a career in the law, he decided from a young age that he wanted to be a criminal barrister.Criminal Justice Matters is produced by Adam Batstone Media & Communications Find out more about the CBA from the website Criminal Bar Association or follow the CBA on Twitter @TheCriminalBar

This is the first of three episodes of Criminal Justice Matters series in which we hear from some of the stars and trailblazers who have come from a diverse range of backgrounds to achieve successful careers as criminal barristers.In this first part Chair of the Criminal Bar Association of England and Wales, Kirsty Brimelow KC, talks to Jeremy Dein KC, the former joint head of 25 Bedford Row Chambers in London. Jeremy talks about his childhood in a working class family in the East End of London and how he had to overcome a sense of imposter syndrome before he could establish his successful career.Jeremy also describes his pride and professional satisfaction in winning a successful case where he faced the News of the World newspaper on behalf of his client the former NDubz singer Tulisa Contostavlos.We also hear from Nina Grahame KC of Garden Court North Chambers in Manchester. Nina describes how she took an unconventional route to the Bar after a working for many years in fringe theatre. Nina describes the challenges of studying to become a barrister as a mature student and her pride in taking on work which can have life changing benefits for her clients.Criminal Justice Matters is produced by Adam Batstone Media & Communications Find out more about the CBA from the website Criminal Bar Association or follow the CBA on Twitter @TheCriminalBar

In this episode of Criminal Justice Matters Kirsty Brimelow KC, chair of the  Criminal Bar Association of England and Wales talks to Mary Prior KC about her work prosecuting rape and serious sexual offences.Kirsty and Mary discuss and dispel many of the myths around this difficult and high profile area of the criminal law. They discuss the legal process from investigation, arrest, charge to trial and the multiple reasons why so many complaints of rape or serious sexual assault never reach a courtroom.Criminal Justice Matters is produced by Adam Batstone Media & Communications Find out more about the CBA from the website Criminal Bar Association or follow the CBA on Twitter @TheCriminalBar

In this second episode of the Criminal Bar Association's new podcast  series Criminal Justice Matters, the chair of the CBA Kirsty Brimelow KC talks to young, junior barristers about why they chose to work at The Criminal Bar, the route they took to the bar and the pressures and rewards of their work.Kirsty's guests are Zayd Ahmed of Mountford Chambers in London and Jennifer Devans-Tamakloe  of 23 Essex Street who works as a junior barrister on the Northern Circuit in Manchester.Criminal Justice Matters is produced by Adam Batstone Media & Communications Find out more about the CBA from the website Criminal Bar Association or follow the CBA on Twitter @TheCriminalBar

Kirsty Brimelow KC, Chair of the Criminal Bar Association, talks to Laurie-Anne Power KC, former Treasurer of the Criminal Bar Association, about the historical industrial action taken by criminal barristers in 2022 where members of the criminal bar stopped attending court in a dispute with government over its slashing of legal aid pay for barristers and refusal to increase fees on existing cases. Kirsty and Laurie-Anne discussed how barristers acted to prevent the complete collapse of the criminal justice system.  Kirsty became Chair at the height of the barristers’ action and led the action whilst opening negotiations with former Secretary of State for Justice Brandon Lewis MP in September 2022.  These negotiations resulted in a significant move from government in an offer which was put to ballot of Criminal Bar Association members. Members voted to accept the legal aid increase offered by the government. Kirsty speaks about her dedication to the Criminal Bar, ongoing work to rebuild the criminal justice system, keeping pressure on the Ministry of Justice for long-term reform and, ultimately, why criminal barristers matter. She also busts a few myths along the way.Criminal Justice Matters is produced by Adam Batstone Media & Communications Find out more about the CBA from the website Criminal Bar Association or follow the CBA on Twitter @TheCriminalBar