The first event in our “Human Rights Law Reform: Convention, Common Law, and Parliament” series, this seminar will examine the development of human rights law in the UK since 1998 and consider whether current institutional and political pressures point towards reform, reinterpretation, or withdrawal, and the implications of each for domestic law and practice. Speakers include Baroness Helena Kennedy (Doughty Street Chambers), Edward Faulks KC (Deka Chambers) and Professor Veronika Fikfak (UCL). Chaired by Josh Kern (9BR Chambers). This session will take place in-person and be followed by a drinks reception.

Pupil Supervisors must receive training and refresher training that meets outcomes set by the BSB. Sessions are open to members of all 4 Inns. Please visit the relevant pages on the Gray's Inn, Lincoln's Inn or Middle Temple websites for details and dates of the courses they are offering this year. Please select one of the two workshops - Group A, for new pupil supervisors completing training for the first time, or Group B, for those who have completed the training previously and are attending this course as a refresher. The course fee of £50 includes refreshments. To book: scroll down to the bottom of the page and click "Add ticket". Fill in details on the next page, then click "Checkout" to make payment and complete booking. (Members of Inner Temple can also log in to their online account below to book on that way).

While inquests are not intended as a means of apportioning blame, and inquiries have no power to determine any person’s civil or criminal liability, both forms of hearing have, in recent years, attracted criticism, as regards length, areas of investigation and particularly the content and style of questioning. This conference will examine the structure and workings of Inquests and Inquiries, with a particular focus on advocacy, but will also examine the experience undergone by those who have appeared as witnesses. All the speakers have expertise in this field, either having chaired an inquest or inquiry, or appeared as an advocate, or as a witness. The conference aims to enable participants to obtain a better understanding of the purpose and structure of these hearings and the skills required for effective advocacy in them, while providing an open forum to discuss these issues. Speakers include: Lord Arbuthnot, Jason Beer KC, HHJ Mark Lucraft KC, Sam Stein KC. The session includes lunch and will conclude with a drinks reception.

This session forms part of the Human Rights Law Reform: Convention, Common Law, and Parliament series. This webinar examines the central role of Article 8 ECHR in UK law since the Human Rights Act 1998, particularly across areas such as privacy, surveillance, immigration, and child protection. Against the backdrop of proposals to repeal and replace the Act, it asks what would follow in its absence: whether the common law and Parliament could fill the gap, or whether its removal would mark a significant shift in the balance between individual rights and executive power. Speakers include Sonalia Naik KC (Garden Court Chambers) and Prof Ian Walden (Queen Mary, University of London). Chaired by Micheál Ó Floinn (University of Glasgow)

This session forms part of the Human Rights Law Reform: Convention, Common Law, and Parliament series. This webinar will explore the legal and practical limits on removal from the UK, focusing on Article 3 ECHR, the Convention Against Torture, and the principle of non-refoulement under the Refugee Convention. In light of ongoing debates about asylum reform and the UK’s international obligations, it considers what scope there is for change, whether Parliament could narrow existing protections, and how far constraints on removal are embedded in domestic law. Chaired by Micheál Ó Floinn (University of Glasgow)

This session forms part of the Human Rights Law Reform: Convention, Common Law, and Parliament series. Since the Human Rights Act 1998, Article 6 ECHR has influenced fair trial standards in criminal proceedings, shaping approaches from disclosure to delay, jury directions to appeals. In the last of our series on Human Rights Legal Reform, this webinar examines whether Strasbourg's interventions have enhanced fairness, or whether the common law and Parliament have long provided, and may still provide, equal or greater protection in practice. Chaired by Josh Kern (9BR Chambers)