On 21 March, the Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, unveiled the Government’s formal response to Sir David Clementi’s 2004 report, which is likely to result in sweeping changes to the structure of the Bar.

At the Department of Constitutional Affairs’ (DCA’s) conference – The Future of Legal Services: Putting Consumers First – Lord Falconer announced that the Government would produce a white paper later this year largely adopting Clementi’s far-reaching proposals for reform of legal services, including the separation of the regulatory and representative powers of the Bar Council and Law Society.