Michael Todd QC, the chairman of the Bar Council of England and Wales, fired specific shots at the British government and its recent moves to reform the regulation of lawyers in the UK.

Over-arching regulator

Mr Todd said ‘a point of real concern’ came in recent legislation creating an umbrella oversight regulator for the English legal profession. ‘A requirement for rigorous and effective regulation is understood and accepted,’ he said. ‘What is not accepted is the requirement for, the need for, or the desirability of, the over-arching regulator, the Legal Services Board, the chair of which is appointed by the Lord Chancellor and Secretary State for Justice, albeit after consultation with the Lord Chief Justice’.
He was speaking today in London at the World Bar Conference, a bi-annual event organised by the International Council of Advocates and Barristers.

Brutal intimidation

Mr Todd did not confine his criticism to the UK government, as he hit out also at leaders in Asia and Africa over rule-of-law issues. He referred to ‘brutal and intimidating interference by the state in the affairs of the profession in Zimbabwe and in Malaysia’
Commented Mr Todd: ‘In Malaysia ... when the Chairman of the Bar speaks out publicly against the government on a rule of Law issue, he is ridiculed and intimidated in the press.’