BSB to hold debate on future of barrister training
updated on 22 June 2016
The Bar Standards Board will host a debate on the different options for training and qualifying as a barrister set out in its Future Bar Training Consultation.
Taking place in July, the debate will invite barristers, students and training providers to express their views on three proposed options for the way that training and qualifying will be structured in the future.
- Option A, the ‘evolutionary’ option, proposes to keep the existing academic, vocational Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) and pupillage stages as they are, but to make the BPTC less prescriptive and pupillage more flexible.
- Option B, the ‘manages pathways option’, would also keep the degree, BPTC and pupillage stages, but would introduce three other alternative routes: a combined law degree and BPTC training; combined pupillage and BPTC training; and a modular approach to training.
- Option C, the ‘Bar specialist option’, would replace the current system with a qualifying exam that is open to any candidate, for example, law graduates and those who complete the Graduate Diploma in Law. On passing the exam, candidates would be required to complete a vocational course that would be shorter than the BPTC, focusing on skills such as advocacy, before going on to pupillage.
Dr Simon Thornton-Wood said, BSB director of education and training, said: "We want to make sure, as far as is practical, that the only requirement for qualification and authorisation as a barrister is having the requisite knowledge, skills and attributes to meet the standards of the professional statement. By introducing a more flexible route to qualification, we hope to ensure future access to the profession in a way that enables candidates from all walks of life to consider a career at the Bar. The future of Bar training should ensure it produces competent barristers, and ultimately a legal system in which a diverse public can have confidence."
The debate will take place in Holborn, London on 7 July from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. You can book your place at [email protected] until 1 July.
