Three of Britain's most prominent barristers have been reported to a legal regulator after two legal advocacy groups accused them of abusing their seniority to intimidate Palestine activists.
The European Legal Support Centre (ELSC) and the Public Interest Law Centre (PILC) on Thursday confirmed that it had submitted a formal complaint to the Bar Standards Board (BSB) concerning three kings counsels, Lord David Pannick, Lord Anthony Grabiner, and Stephen Hockman in their capacity as patrons of UK Lawyers for Israel.
The complaint centres on whether repeated references to the senior barristers’ legal standing in correspondence issued by UKLFI amplified the perceived legal threat faced by individuals and organisations involved in lawful advocacy related to Palestine.
ELSC and PILC argue that the use of the barristers’ titles and reputations may have increased pressure on recipients, many of whom lacked access to legal representation or the resources to respond to complex legal claims.
The organisations have asked the BSB, which regulates barristers in England and Wales, to investigate whether the conduct engages provisions within the Bar Standards Board Code of Conduct, including duties relating to integrity, independence and maintaining public trust in the profession.
