Survey reveals most barristers would choose Bar again

The Bar Council and the Bar Standards Board (BSB) have released results from a survey entitled "Barristers' Working Lives". It aimed to provide data on the Bar's profile, and to gather insight into the working lives and employment experiences of barristers. It also hoped to gauge barristers' career aspirations and intentions.

The survey garnered just under 3,000 responses, which was a response rate of 38%. Among other things, it revealed that:

• 70% of barristers would still opt to go to the Bar if they had the choice of starting all over again;
• half of employed barristers, and over two-thirds of self-employed barristers, would consider working in an alternative business structure (ABS); and
• women represent an increasing number of practising barristers - 37% of all respondents. However, after 12 years in the profession, female numbers decline.

Michael Todd QC, chairman of the Bar, said: "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. We can also see a keen interest from the profession in ABSs as a means of meeting the demands of the current legal services market, and the Bar Council will seek to support and facilitate these changes."

Chair of the BSB, Baroness Ruth Deech, stated that the results proved that the decision to consult on the BPTC aptitude test was the right one.