Strike them off. All of them.
A group of barristers could face disciplinary proceedings – including being struck off – after declaring that they will not prosecute ‘peaceful’ climate protesters.
Lawyers are Responsible, as the group calls itself, comprises some 120 barristers and solicitors who say they will object if they have to prosecute eco-groups such as Just Stop Oil – whose tactics include gluing themselves to roads to stop traffic.
Today they handed in their declaration to the Bar Standards Board, which regulates barristers. The declaration also says they will not act for companies involved in oil and gas projects.
That’s a flagrant breach of their professional ethics. They are obliged to accept briefs without fear or favour. That’s how the law works. It is not up to barristers to decide for themselves who gets represented and who does not.
One of the leaders of the protest, Jolyon Maugham KC,
Well blow me down, never saw that one coming… Sarc/
It’s the same as saying “We think you don’t deserve a defence”
Fucking lawyers.
Sack all off them.
Pour encouragers Les autres.
Didn’t Shakespeare say it best in one of his plays? “The first thing we do – let’s kill all the lawyers.”
No. One of the charactwers in one of Shakespeare’s plays said it. In another play the main character stabbed his lawful king to death while a guest in his house. That does not mean that Shakespeare was in favour of regicide. Or killing guests in general.
That’s exactly what they are saying. Hence, they need to be disbarred.
Better that they come forward and admit it than take the cases and deliberately fail. You have to wonder how many others are doing exactly that.
Why is it that the most stupid people in society get the most publicity?
A wonder what will happen to the protesters once it is widely known that they are considered to be above the law?
Has the FoxBludgeoner ever won a case..? We might as well indulge them in this little tantrum as if they are all as useless as he is, they are the dregs of lawyer society anyway!
They need to be disbarred pour encoureger les autres.
It would be interesting if doctors took a similar stance, deciding who to treat based on their political views …
Didn’t a nurse recently get binned for saying just that?
Yup. And rightly so.
I cannot tell put into words the contempt in which I hold barristers in, probably most police officers think the same.
Barristers get a lot of protection because they are obliged to put up a good defence of anyone, obvious criminal or not. It’s part of an unspoken social contract.
Now if some wish to renege on that contract then they open themselves to criticism, not the least because they choose which laws they want to ignore.
They really haven’t thought this through have they? Previously, they defended for example, child killers, not because they wanted to but because they had no choice – next cab on the rank. Now if they can choose whether or not to represent a defendant, the next time they defend a child killer it’s because they want to.