‘Sexual harassment at the Bar that “might have been tolerated and even expected in the past is no longer acceptable”, a disciplinary tribunal has said – but “regrettably, such behaviour is still widespread”.’
Legal Futures, 14th March 2025
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Black students are less likely to pass the barristers’ training course or secure pupillage than their white counterparts, according to analysis published by the profession’s watchdog. The Bar Standards Boards’ data also showed a 10% rise in the number of students enrolled on bar training courses over the past five years, rising from 1,685 in 2019/2020 to 2,406 in 2023/24. The increase may lead to a lower proportion of students going on to pupillage without a proportionate rise in places available, it warned.’
Law Society's Gazette, 10th February 2025
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘The evidence “does not support anxiety about standards” for qualifying as a barrister, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) has said.’
Legal Futures, 4th February 2025
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has today published its third Annual Report to the Board on Bar Training covering the period from December 2023 to November 2024 along with a further report containing statistics on enrolment, results, and student progression overall.’
Bar Standards Board, 3rd February 2025
Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
The number of reports to the Bar Standards Board (BSB) about barristers’ use of social media has unexpectedly fallen but an increasing proportion relate to “controversial social and political issues”.
Legal Futures, 30th September 2024
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Unless you’ve been completely off-grid for the past 12 months or so, you’ve likely encountered the deluge of news, articles, explainers, and enthusiastic LinkedIn posts about the wonders and/or terrors of Generative AI.’
Counsel, September 2024
Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk
‘See probationary tenancy as a fresh opportunity to impress a new group of decision-makers, advises Abiodun Olatokun.’
The 36 Group, 18th July 2024
Source: 36group.co.uk
‘A pupil barrister has been fined £500 for a series of foul-mouthed outbursts at a remote invigilator during an online ethics exam, which ended with him raising his middle finger to the camera.’
Legal Futures, 11th July 2024
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The Bar is slowly addressing the barriers to attracting disabled talent, says Daniel Holt, but there are more ways chambers can authentically commit to disability inclusion.’
Counsel, May 2024
Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk
‘Pupillage providers using blind or contextual recruitment techniques have a higher proportion of male and White pupils than those who do not, research by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) has found.’
Legal Futures, 8th May 2024
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has today published two reports on pupillage recruitment at the Bar. The objective of this research was to strengthen our evidence base around pupillage recruitment to inform the development of the BSB’s policies, including our forthcoming consultation on the Equality Rules.’
The Bar Standards Board, 2nd May 2024
Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
‘Pupil barristers are receiving increased awards for their work but debt levels are also rising, a survey by the Bar Council has found.’
Legal Futures, 14th March 2024
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The number of pupillages offered has hit a new record — exceeding pre-pandemic levels, the Bar Council’s new Pupillage Gateway report published today has shown.’
The Bar Council, 22nd February 2024
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
‘Delaying the point at which barristers are called to the Bar until after obtaining pupillage risks reducing the diversity and strength of the profession, a former Bar Council chair has argued.’
Legal Futures, 23rd January 2024
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Delaying the point at which barristers are called to the Bar until after obtaining pupillage could improve social mobility if it cuts the number of overseas students and “less able domestic students” in the system, the chair of the Bar Council has said.’
Legal Futures, 15th December 2023
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘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
