The fourth annual Joint Bar Council meeting will see the barristers’ bodies meet in formal session next Friday to discuss issues facing the profession and to foster shared learning and collaboration.

The meeting at the Royal Courts of Justice will be followed by a lecture by Lord Kerr, UK Supreme Court judge and former Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, and dinner at the Ulster Museum.

Gerald McAlinden QC, chairman of Bar of Northern Ireland, said: “We are delighted to welcome the Bar Council of Ireland and the leaders of English and Scottish Bar to Belfast.

“This annual event has proven hugely beneficial for both representative bodies as we seek to lead and govern the profession in increasingly challenging times.

“We hope to gain valuable insight from each other on important internal issues such as regulation, equality, education and training as well as wider public matters and our continued defence of access to justice and legal representation for all.”