‘Nearly half of UK students on the Bar training course are now from ethnic minority backgrounds, compared to a quarter a decade ago, according to new figures.’
Legal Futures, 1st December 2023
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has reported a surge of lawyers from the Indian sub-continent seeking to be called to the Bar in England and Wales – even though many appear to have no intention of practising here.’
Legal Futures, 11th October 2023
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The Bar Council is boosting its commitment to social mobility at the Bar with the introduction of a contextual recruitment tool to the Pupillage Gateway system from 2024/25. The announcement was made in a speech on the future of the Bar by Nick Vineall KC, Chair of the Bar of England and Wales, last night (Wednesday 13 September). Contextual recruitment tools look at the context in which students receive their grades, so that recruiters can identify candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds who outperformed their immediate peers and who can demonstrate the qualities needed to succeed at the Bar, but who might otherwise be missed in a recruitment process.’
The Bar Council, 14th September 2023
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
‘Chair of the Bar Nick Vineall KC has called on the profession to call people to the Bar only when they have completed pupillage. The present system means that the title of barrister is conferred on people who are not entitled to practise as barristers, and he argues that this creates a real risk of confusion for clients and is not in the public interest.’
The Bar Council, 13th September 2023
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
‘The results of a practising barrister’s experiment of applying for pupillage in a different area of law indicates that a lack of academic achievement remains a huge barrier even then.’
Legal Futures, 4th July 2023
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘In Episode 178 Emma-Louise Fenelon speaks to Shahram Sharghy and Jo Moore about how to become a barrister. The episode considers the kind of research that is essential to do in advance, navigating the pupillage gateway, preparing for interviews, and dealing with rejection.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 30th January 2023
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘A personal injury firm claims to have become the first of its kind to offer pupillage to aspiring barristers. North west firm Express Solicitors will hear applications for four pupillage positions in each of the next two years, and plans to increase this number in the future as caseloads increase.’
Law Society's Gazette, 30th January 2023
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘There is a significant attainment gap between providers of the Bar training course, ranging from a pass rate of 94% at the highest to 49% at the lowest.’
Legal Futures, 12th December 2022
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The number of pupillage offers and applications is once again at pre-pandemic levels, according to a new report from the Bar Council published today.’
The Bar Council, 17th October 2022
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) is today publishing two important documents which address culture at the Bar. The first is a Report on Addressing Bullying and Harassment at the Bar. Through its Addressing Bullying and Harassment at the Bar project, launched in 2019, and the 2020 report on Bullying, Discrimination and Harassment at the Bar, the BSB has sought to reduce the risks of bullying and harassment at the Bar, to ensure that effective systems are in place in chambers to handle reports of bullying and harassment, and to encourage the profession to tackle this issue effectively.’
Bar Standards Board, 6th October 2022
Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
‘A costs judge has rejected calls for claimant lawyers to be punished for alleged conflict in the way counsel was instructed to handle a case.’
Law Society's Gazette, 24th June 2022
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Nearly four in 10 pupils have either personally experienced or observed bullying, harassment and/or discrimination (BHD), Bar Council research has revealed.’
Legal Futures, 4th April 2022
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The number of pupil barristers has rebounded after the pandemic sent it crashing, while women increasingly dominate the junior end of the Bar, new figures have shown.’
Legal Futures, 28th January 2022
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The High Court has rejected an appeal from a criminal law barrister suspended for six months by a Bar disciplinary tribunal for lewd comments to a female mini-pupil.’
Legal Futures, 25th January 2022
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
“My Chambers took part in this year’s Bar Council Pupillage Fair, which took place in the wake of reports highlighting the fact that the Criminal Bar is haemorrhaging members, with 11% of juniors reportedly having left criminal practice in the three years leading up to the Covid pandemic. There are, as yet, no statistics for falling retention rates during and as a result of the pandemic itself. No doubt they will represent a clear measure of the worsening state of our Criminal Justice System [CJS].”
Bar Council, 4th November 2021
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
‘The Bar Standards Board has warned that there could be “real challenges” ahead if the average age of barristers continues to rise, following a study which found that 40% of barristers are now over 50 years old.’
Law Society's Gazette, 15th October 2021
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Bar students should be given detailed information from chambers about their pupillage criteria to avoid suffering from “buyer’s remorse” when they realise how difficult it is to succeed, a barrister and former Bar course teacher has argued.’
Legal Futures, 15th October 2021
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘There is a debate that perennially surfaces on social media and leads to animated discussion – “far too many students start the Bar course with little or no prospects of success; spending money they can ill afford; and that any given scholarship money could be used differently”. The debate can be stifled, or misdirected, by inaccurate statistics or recollections of a Bar course from a halcyon age. Fortunately, and in the best Twitter form, this debate also provides a whole host of suggested solutions.’
Counsel, October 2021
Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk
‘Candidates from Black backgrounds are much less likely than other candidates to secure a pupillage, a report from the Bar Council has found.’
Legal Futures, 5th October 2021
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Over a third of aspiring barristers expect to have racked up over £40,000 of debt by the time they complete pupillage, as the number of applicants competing for jobs continues to rise.’
Law Society's Gazette, 1st October 2021
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
