The Bar Standards Board issues a consultation on the regulation of barristers in chambers

This document reflects a series of roundtables with members of chambers and with representatives of the Bar Council, the Legal Practice Management Association and the Institute of Barristers’ Clerks in late 2022 and the first half of 2023. We plan to repeat these roundtables, beginning in the Autumn of 2023, to meet members of the profession in London, Brighton, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Swansea and Newcastle. The full list of events is available below.

The proposals in the paper seek to provide chambers with greater clarity about regulatory expectations in the areas of maintaining standards, pupillage, equality and inclusion, bullying and harassment, wellbeing, access, sanctions and anti-money laundering, information security and governance. The BSB’s aim is to consolidate those expectations into a single online resource which we hope would be complemented by resources from the Bar Council, the Specialist Bar Associations, the Inns and Circuits, the Legal Practice Management Association, the Institute of Barristers’ Clerks and other professional organisations designed to promote the sharing of good practice between chambers. The full consultation document is available here. The Bar Standards Board welcomes written responses to this paper by 29 February 2024.

The upcoming roundtables are as follows:

• London- Thursday 9th November 2023 at the BSB offices (289-293 High Holborn, London, WC1V 7HZ).
• Newcastle- Wednesday 15th November 2023 at Trinity Chambers (The Custom House, Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3D).
• Manchester- Tuesday 5th December 2023 at Deans Court Chambers (24 St. John Street, Manchester, M3 4DF).
• Leeds- Thursday January 11th 2024 at Park Square Barristers (6 Park Square, Leeds, LS1 2LW).
• Swansea- Thursday 18th January 2024 at Angel Chambers (Ethos Building, Kings Road, Swansea, SA1 8AS).
• London- Tuesday 23rd January 2024 at the BSB offices (289-293 High Holborn, London, WC1V 7HZ).
• Bristol- Wednesday 7th February 2024 at St. John’s Chambers (101 Victoria Street, Bristol, BS1 6PU).
• Birmingham- Thursday 22nd February 2024 at St Ives Chambers (1-3 Whittall Street, Birmingham, B4 6DH).
• Brighton- Thursday 29th February 2024 at 1 Crown Office Row (119 Church Street, Brighton, BN1 1UD).

Should you like to attend any of these events, please e-mail communications@barstandardsboard.org.uk as soon as possible, stating any accessibility and dietary requirements.