BSB outlines steps to eliminate discrimination and harassment faced by women barristers

The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has announced how it intends to eliminate the discrimination, harassment and unfair treatment experienced by women barristers, just as news has emerged that of the top 100 highest-earning criminal defence barristers, only four are women.

Next steps include working with the Bar Council, the Institute of Barristers’ Clerks and the Legal Practice Management Association to address sexist culture at the Bar and “consider future training needs.”

The BSB will also review its approach to enforcement, the role of equality and diversity officers within chambers, and its own equality rules.

Meanwhile, a circuit judge, Emma Nott, has obtained statistics from the Legal Aid Agency which show that in 2016-17, there only four women among the 100 highest-earning criminal defence barristers.

As Legal Futures reports, when last year’s statistics are broadened to include the top 500 barristers by earnings, just 13% were women.

Ewan Macleod, the BSB’s director of strategy and policy, commented: "We are determined to work towards eliminating all forms of harassment, discrimination and unfair treatment. These proposals seek to focus on the unfair treatment of women barristers and to improve the retention and progress of women at the Bar. Our research has been very valuable in enabling us to formulate the action plan for our future work. We would like to thank the many participants who came to our workshops and contributed to our plans.

"It is clear that the profession needs to continue to work together to address these issues, ensure more wide-spread compliance with our equality rules, learn from the examples of good practice that exist at the Bar, and to focus on delivering practical and workable solutions. We will continue to work with the profession and with the Bar Council, who share our objective, to improve the position of women at the Bar."