Prejudice from the bar and bench against solicitor higher court advocates (HCAs) is ‘a fact of life’, the first female solicitor QC has alleged.

June Venters, who was made a QC in 2007, told the Gazette that as a solicitor HCA she has experienced hostility and rudeness from barristers and judges before and since becoming a silk. ‘I’ve come across some charming judges and barristers, but there are others who are clearly prejudiced and have made that known to me – it’s just a fact of life.’

Her comments follow the escalation in tension between the bar and solicitors in light of criticism made of three HCAs by Judge Gledhill and a letter from Desmond Browne QC, bar chairman, about the ‘threat’ posed to the referral bar by the increase in HCAs. Venters said HCAs, who now number almost 5,000, present an unwelcome threat to the bar.

The full interview with Venters will be published in the August issue of Solutions, the magazine of the Law Society’s dispute resolution section.