The chair of the Bar Council has raised concerns about ‘unclear’ changes to the professional rules for barristers
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) issued its seven-page response last week to its October 2023 Consultation on the regulation of barristers in chambers. It proposed an outcomes-based model, which was favoured by larger chambers, but acknowledged smaller sets ‘tended to want the certainty that came with precise rules’.
However, Sam Townend KC, chair of the Bar, said: ‘A move towards outcomes-based regulation is not clear or proportionate for the Bar.
‘Further, we are concerned that the BSB proposals are unclear over who in chambers would hold responsibility for any non-compliance or enforcement activity. Is every member of a set to be held responsible or just those in leadership positions? Heads of chambers who take on these voluntary positions cannot—and should not—be held accountable for the failings of an individual barrister in their chambers.’
There are currently 400 chambers, nearly two-thirds of which have fewer than 50 barristers.
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