Barristers


Credibility at Bar linked to “masculine heterosexuality”

17 March 2023

Macho masculinity and the alignment of what is generally considered professional at the Bar with heterosexuality, is creating problems for sexual minority barristers.


Non-binary barrister: “Judges can be ignorant of gender neutral address”

15 July 2022

A barrister who identifies as non-binary sometimes has to endure a judge’s ignorance about how to address them correctly, a meeting heard this week.


Aspiring barrister subjected to “extreme discrimination” launches disability group

3 February 2022

An organisation aimed at making the Bar more accessible to disabled people and improving the diversity of the judiciary was launched last week.


Clerks “must play bigger role in fair work allocation”

24 September 2021

Barristers’ clerks must step up and ensure that both work coming in and marketing efforts by chambers are done with an eye to equality in the way they are distributed, a seminar heard this week.


Retention improving at the Bar as average age of barristers rises

28 July 2021

The proportion of barristers aged over 50 has tripled over the past 30 years, while the number of pupils has shrunk by almost 30%, research by the Bar Standards Board has found.


Discrimination the “sole cause” of paucity of Black QCs

26 July 2021

Discrimination is the “sole identifiable cause” for the paucity of Black barristers, particularly at QC level, a co-chair of the Bar Council’s race working group has argued.


Only 10% of new BPTC graduates found pupillage due to Covid

19 July 2021

Only 10% of students who successfully completed the Bar professional training course last year had started a pupillage by the end of March 2021, according to new figures.


CPS diversity declaration rule to put chambers under spotlight

13 July 2021

The CPS is to use a new annual declaration by panel barristers of any protected characteristics to analyse the proportionality of case allocation and fee payments within chambers.


Public access barrister suspended over “hostile emails” to solicitors

13 July 2021

A public access barrister who engaged in “unnecessarily hostile and antagonistic correspondence” with opposing solicitors has been suspended for six months.


Barrister and ABS owner launches legal recruitment firm

13 July 2021

A practising barrister and sole director of an alternative business structure has added a third string to his bow by launching a legal recruitment firm.


Court scolds QC but decides against referring him to BSB

9 July 2021

A QC who misused the urgent applications procedure for a Brexit-related judicial review has been ticked off by the Divisional Court but escaped being referred to the Bar Standards Board.


Law firm swaps regulator after enduring “bumpy journey”

8 July 2021

A family law practice started by two solicitors has divorced the Bar Standards Board as its regulator and taken up with the Solicitors Regulation Authority after difficulties beset the relationship.


Barrister suspended over Royal baby tweets returns to work

7 July 2021

The barrister suspended from the innovative family law business she founded after being accused of making racist comments about the latest Royal baby has returned to work.


BSB more likely to raise complaints against minority ethnic barristers

7 July 2021

Minority ethnic barristers remain more likely than their White counterparts to be subject to complaints raised by the Bar Standards Board, with men more likely than women, new research has shown.


LSB: Bar regulator “put interests of profession ahead of the public”

1 July 2021

The Bar Standards Board places “a disproportionate weight on the impact of its work on the profession” and pays insufficient regard to the impact on the public, the Legal Services Board said today.

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