On Monday, I met with Sally Flynn KC, Vice Chair of the Criminal Bar Association, to speak about the problems currently facing the Criminal Bar. Among other things, we discussed the Senior Counsel Consultation Panel Pilot, a joint initiative between the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Criminal Bar Association, supported by the Office of Public Prosecutions and Victoria Legal Aid. The Panel provides on the spot support to barristers if they feel they have experienced judicial bullying or otherwise unreasonable or disrespectful behaviour by judicial officers while appearing in the Courts. The primary focus of the Panel is support, rather than complaint. It is run in tandem with the existing Judicial Commission complaints process, with a practitioner still able to make a complaint to the Judicial Commission, or raise the matter with me, as President of the Bar. Details about the Pilot Program can be found here.
