A letter from Chris Kessling

Dear visitor,

Thank you for using the defence-barrister.co.uk website which has been growing both in size and popularity for many years now.

The law, like most things, constantly develops and this website needs to grow and develop with it. It means keeping on top of the law and providing relevant and up-to-date content.

With the advancement of AI, the web is trawled for information, such as provided on this website, and then redrafted through another platform without reference to the original author. That some information may be gathered from this website and then combined with other information from a website without provenance or professionalism, creates a real danger for website users of the future, for how exactly is that combined information fact-checked and verified? There have already been cases where lawyers have discovered this danger for themselves, of using case law that did not exist and advancing arguments that held no legal value. As we move forwards, as a defence-barrister.co.uk member you will know that the information on this website comes from a trusted and reliable source.

Defence-barrister.co.uk has always been provided to users at no cost and, in a perfect world, would continue to be. As annoying as ads can be, they provide much needed financial support to websites that provide free content. However, with the proliferation of ad blockers and data protection/regulatory requirements, ad revenue is decreasing and unable to keep up with the increasing costs and work involved to provide what website visitors, seeking high quality professional content, expect.

To maintain a website of quality and to provide professional and trusted content, as well as to improve and expand the range of content and information available, I have therefore made the decision to introduce a membership programme. Some content will remain available free of charge, but other exclusive content will be fully accessible only to subscribers. I have set charges at the most modest level that I reasonably can, which is £4.99 a month (you can cancel at any time), with a two-month reduction if you choose to pay annually, amounting to under 14 pence per day.

Defence-barrister.co.uk has always been designed to be as accessible to non-lawyers as it is to lawyers. Many lawyers, both barristers and solicitors, are regular visitors (they like ease of use too), but much of our audience are people who find themselves, for the first time in their lives, confronted with needing to know more about criminal justice, and often at a difficult or stressful time in their lives. That is why the website is written in a way which allows you to understand the system and, if there is further reading to be done, where to go to find current information that you can trust. Accessibility for all and the provision of professional, quality content are guiding principles and will always be at the heart of what we do.

As defence-barrister.co.uk enters a new and exciting era, as new content is added and we secure our position as the ‘go to’ website for user-friendly and professional content on the criminal justice system in England & Wales, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support for so many years. I very much hope to welcome you as members, to provide you with the very best in value for money, and to secure your loyalty and support for many years to come.

With my best wishes,

Defence-Barrister.co.uk | Surviving the Criminal Courts