Barristers

A barrister who sent a “seriously offensive” tweet that was “racially charged and derogatory to women” has been reprimanded and given a “low-level” fine of £1,000.

Students aspiring to careers as barristers are not always told honestly the difficulties they will face with obtaining a pupillage and funding their studies, according to a retired High Court judge.

Inappropriate behaviour by male barristers in robing rooms and at Bar messes “still abounds”, with many women afraid to speak out, the Association of Women Barristers has said.

A leading silk who drove his car into a ditch while under the influence of alcohol has been fined £600 by the Bar Standards Board, one of three recent disciplinary cases involving drink-driving lawyers.

The High Court has refused a barrister permission to challenge a decision by the Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman over a complaint she made about Supreme Court justice Lord Briggs.

The Bar Standards Board has delayed plans to require chambers to enter into written agreements with pupils, which were due to come into force in just two months’ time.

Barristers will be able to make anonymous reports of bullying and harassment by their colleagues and judges after the Bar Council signed up to an online tool to aid the profession.

The Legal Services Board has said the Bar Standards Board now meets the standard it set for improving the quality of advocacy – unlike the Solicitors Regulation Authority and CILEx Regulation.

The Bar Standards Board has decided to stop funding Legal Choices, the consumer-facing website which until now has been collectively run and paid for by all the legal regulators.

A barrister has resigned from Doughty Street Chambers after being accused of running a controversial Twitter account that harassed activists campaigning against antisemitism in the Labour Party.

A barrister who complied with an order from the Legal Ombudsman to pay compensation to a client only two hours before appearing at a Bar disciplinary tribunal has been fined £2,000.

A barrister convicted of common assault after threatening police officers with a kitchen knife has been reprimanded and fined £500 by the Bar Standards Board.

Requiring chambers to enter into written agreements with pupils may help to counter “shocking” instances of abusive treatment, the Bar Council has said.

A judge was wrong to discharge the jury in a criminal trial after “inappropriate” remarks by the defence barrister in his closing speech, the Lord Chief Justice has ruled.

A barrister who only recently returned to practice after completing a three-year suspension for a high-profile drugs conviction, has been suspended again.