The Law Show19 Nov 2025

The law under fire

Politically motivated attacks on the legal profession in the UK have led to barristers, solicitors, advocates and judges being subjected to violence, death threats and rape threats. Some have faced threats to their family members.

This is according to the The Bar Council of England and Wales, the Law Society of England and Wales, the Law Society of Scotland, the Faculty of Advocates, the Bar of Northern Ireland and the Law Society of Northern Ireland. These organisations represent a quarter of a million lawyers across the UK, and they have come together to warn about an increasing climate of hostility against legal professionals.

They say that law firms have been targeted by protesters, and they point out that lawyers are not their clients. So how bad has the situation become, and is it threatening justice or even democracy?

Also on the programme: The Scottish Parliament has passed the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill after 3 days of debates and almost 400 amendments lodged - so why is the bill so controversial? And using a dodgy "jailbroken-Firestick" to watch illegally-streamed TV may seem like a victimless crime - but is it?

Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan Producers: Ravi Naik and Charlotte Rowles Editor: Tom Bigwood

Contributors: Charlie Sherrard KC, criminal barrister with 2BR Chambers Mark Evans, President of the Law Society James Cook, BBC Scotland Editor Éamon Chawke, a solicitor who specialises in intellectual property law at Briffa legal

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