BSB publishes its annual report on diversity at the Bar
updated on 27 February 2024
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The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has released its diversity data summary for the Bar in 2023.
The report “presents a summary of the latest available diversity data for the bar (covering pupils, practising King’s Counsel – (KC) and practising non-KC barristers)”. The BSB’s data reflects a continuation of several longer-term trends, particularly an increase in promotions for barristers who are:
- women;
- from an ethnic minority background;
- have primary care of a child; and
- are aged 55 or more.
The response rates of various minority categories have mostly gone up, with a significant increase in response from those who had free school meals (10%). The BSB has also seen a 2% or more increase in responses from those who:
- have a disability; and
- identify with a different gender than assigned at birth.
When it comes to women at the Bar, the BSB’s report found the number of women KCs increased from 19.2% in 2022 to 20.3% in 2023. However, there remains a significant disparity between the proportion of the Bar who are women (40.6%) and the number of female KCs.
There are more barristers from an ethnic minority background or pupils with a disability than there were in 2022. The number of barristers from ethnic minority backgrounds has risen by 0.6% since December 2022, and pupils who declared having a disability increased by 3.2% standing at 15.7% overall.
Mark Neale, director general of the BSB, said: “It’s encouraging to see the Bar continuing to become more representative of the society that it serves.”
Neale added that despite the Bar’s progress, minority groups remain underrepresented at the Bar, which “underlines the importance of the work we’re doing to review our equality and diversity rules and to work proactively with the profession to support barristers and chambers in meeting those rules”.
Neale also urged all barristers to ensure they’re responding to the questions asked when renewing their practising certificates, as this will ensure the Bar can “obtain the most accurate picture of diversity”.
