COMBAR funding JA Pilot Scheme

On 28 June 2018 COMBAR decided at its AGM to increase is membership subscriptions by 50% to fund a Judicial Assistant Pilot Scheme in the Commercial Court.  Amanda Tipples QC attended the AGM as a member of COMBAR and objected to this proposal.  She said, if, as it appears, there is a need for Commercial Court judges to have judicial assistants, then “the Commercial Court should be properly resourced and funded by the government through the Court Service.  It is not for COMBAR to paper over the cracks when issues arise as a result of inadequate funding”.  Further, as Chairman of the Chancery Bar Association, she said this: “I wish to put down a very clear marker in relation to the Business and Property Courts as a whole.  I can say that if our Association had been presented with such a proposal by The Chancellor asking us to fund Judicial Assistants for some or all of the 17 judges in the Chancery Division, we would not have supported any such proposal and we would not have asked our members to fund it.”  This matter is to be discussed at Bar Council on Saturday 7 July 2018.

To read Amanda’s objection, which has been circulated to Bar Council, please click here.