Charlene Dempsey

Criminal Law & Human Rights enthusiast, Belfast. Enjoying good mixture of work and play! Barrister at the Bar of NI. Tweets are my own.

[Charlene Dempsey @Ceedemp]

Beautiful Ischia 👌👌👌☀️☀️☀️☀️

[Charlene Dempsey @Ceedemp]

Illetas, Majorca.

[Charlene Dempsey @Ceedemp]

Chania, Crete. No filter.

[Charlene Dempsey @Ceedemp]

Mykonos. Everything I hoped for and more 👌

[The CBA @TheCriminalBar]

At Isleworth crown court last week, the judges were setting trial dates for 2029.
The backlog has been rising at the south-west London court, but two of the 14 courtrooms stand permanently empty because there are not enough judicial sitting days
⁦ https://t.co/dsVDBkjItz

[Deirdre Hargey @DeirdreHargey]

🚨 Justice Delayed is Justice Denied

Legal aid is a cornerstone of our justice system, ensuring fair access for all—no matter their income. With 69 trials already impacted, the Justice Minister must urgently resolve this dispute before the system faces even more pressure.

[Bar of NI @TheBarofNI]

‼️Access to Justice is in Crisis ‼️

The administration of our Legal Aid system is creating an ever decreasing circle of legal professionals who can provide their advice & representation to citizens & serve the interests of our justice system.

We are calling on the Department of Justice to recognise the access to justice crisis and act with urgency to address it.

This starts with, as a minimum, action on crippling payment delays for Legal Aid work and fees which have remained static since 2005.

#accesstojusticeincrisis

[The Irish News @irish_news]

Lawyers vote in favour of extending strike in dispute over legal aid fees https://t.co/H4FvEeSLFc

[Charlene Dempsey @Ceedemp]

@ConorHouston_ @RobertSmyth_ @lougheskecastle Huge congrats to you both ❤️

[Charlene Dempsey @Ceedemp]

Happiest of new years ⚓️

[Bar of NI @TheBarofNI]

The Bar Council earlier today confirmed that the Criminal Bar Association will escalate the withdrawal of services in legally aided Crown Court cases across January 2025.

In a development described by Bar Council Chair Donal Lunny KC as "regrettable", the approach taken by the Department of Justice in its reform of Criminal Legal Aid made escalation "inevitable".

Donal Lunny KC stated:

“The CBA has sounded a warning that the DoJ’s approach to Legal Aid reform takes us closer to a two-tier system whereby only individuals who can fund their own cases will have the best available representation.

"Younger, skilled professionals are leaving practice due to the financial pressures associated with legally aided work. A drain of talented, younger professionals is bad news for victims, defendants, and society.

“We call on the Department, even at this late stage, to re-engage to prevent further escalation on the part of the CBA. We call on the Department to re-evaluate the overall direction and proportionality of its Legal Aid reform programme.”

Read the full statement from the Bar of Northern Ireland via the link below:

https://t.co/vA8DPtg3p9

[Bar of NI @TheBarofNI]

The Bar of Northern Ireland has urged the Department of Justice to stabilise the Legal Aid system, a system in crisis as a result of long standing underinvestment and the continued failure of the DoJ to conduct renumeration reviews when required to under statute.

The statement from Bar Council Chair Donal Lunny KC follows a Ministerial Statement made by the Justice Minister to the Northern Ireland Assembly yesterday (02 Dec.) on reform proposals relating to the provision of Legal Aid.

The Department's proposals are described by the Bar as placing ideologically driven policy experimentalism ahead of achieving stability in our system of Legal Aid.

The Bar also expressed concern about aspects of the reform proposals as creating the potential for unchecked Departmental overreach and an attempt to erode the independence of the referral bar.

Read the statement in full below.

https://t.co/rbojPRb7lP

[Bar of NI @TheBarofNI]

"The issues that have led to this action have been about 20 years in the making. Since 2005 we've sustained a continuous barrage of reduction in funding for Criminal Legal Aid work.

"The cases are becoming increasingly more complicated & more demanding.

"Our members are now spending 60/70 hours per week working on these cases, trying to perform to a very, very high standard; a standard of care that we owe to victims & defendants in each & every one of these cases."

Chair of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) Gavan Duffy KC discusses why criminal barristers will no longer receive new instructions in Category A cases, some of the most serious of offences.

#AccessToJusticeInCrisis

[Bar of NI @TheBarofNI]

Criminal Legal Aid is no longer fit for purpose and this is having a profound impact on committed and dedicated legal professionals who have been under unsustainable pressure to support this demand-led public service.

A properly funded criminal justice system is vitally important for victims of crime, those accused of offences and everyone across wider society.
#AccessToJusticeInCrisis

[Bar of NI @TheBarofNI]

#AccessToJusticeInCrisis

[Bar of NI @TheBarofNI]

Access to justice is in crisis.

Criminal cases have become more complex & require unsustainable levels of time & skill from practitioners.

Yet fees remain stuck since 2005 and payment delays applied to barristers lengthen and now stretch to around 14-16 weeks.

As criminal barristers reluctantly withdraw services, we demand urgent action on fair fees from @Justice_NI to preserve the precious public asset that is our Justice system.

#AccessToJusticeInCrisis

[Bar of NI @TheBarofNI]

Tomorrow barristers will withdraw services from all criminal cases across Northern Ireland with an exception applied to emergency matters.

This action has been taken reluctantly and because criminal practice has become untenable for legal practitioners.

Access to justice is in crisis.

@Justice_NI must take action urgently to uplift fees in criminal cases which remain stuck since 2005, and end a payment delay policy which results in crippling 14-16 week delays in paying practitioners for publicly funded criminal work.

#AccessToJusticeInCrisis

[Charlene Dempsey @Ceedemp]

Visiting Mahon, Menorca. Very very wow!

[Bar of NI @TheBarofNI]

The Criminal Bar Association (CBA), the association representing criminal barristers within the Bar of NI, has announced details of a planned withdrawal of services, which will take effect across criminal courts from the start of next month.

Read More:

https://t.co/VDnvQBjdt4

[Charlene Dempsey @Ceedemp]

@MichaelsCoDub One of my favourite things to do!!! Businesses need to tap into this market more.