header-logo header-logo

09 February 2012
Issue: 7500 / Categories: Legal News
printer mail-detail

Barristers: a profile

Bar survey offers an insight into the working life of barristers

Two-thirds of self-employed barristers and half of the employed Bar would consider working in an alternative business structure, according to an extensive survey of the Bar.

Barristers’ Working Lives, the first of a series of biennial surveys by the Bar Council and Bar Standards Board, offers a profile of the Bar, and the aspirations and intentions of those who work in the profession.

Of the 3,000 barristers who took part in the research, nearly three-quarters said they would opt for the same career again, given the choice.

More than half of barristers under the age of 30 are women. The average age of a barrister is 44 years.

Only a quarter of barristers do purely private work, and 43% of barristers say more than half of their work is publicly funded. Criminal barristers say 90% of their work is publicly funded.

Bar chairman Michael Todd QC says: “The results of the survey show that the profession is more diverse now than ever, but that more can be done to support working parents, as we are doing through our campaign for a Bar nursery, for example.”

Issue: 7500 / Categories: Legal News
printer mail-details

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Harper James—Lottie Hugo

Harper James—Lottie Hugo

Commercial law firm announces appointment of corporate partner

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Partner joins corporate and finance practice in British Virgin Islands

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Firm strengthens children department with adoption and surrogacy expert

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Thousands more magistrates are to be recruited, under a major shake-up to speed up and expand the hiring process
The winners of the LexisNexis Legal Awards 2026 have now been announced, marking another outstanding celebration of excellence, innovation, and impact across the legal profession
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
back-to-top-scroll