The Bar Council of England and Wales

This information was supplied by the Bar Council.

The Bar Council is the voice of the barrister profession in England and Wales. Our nearly 18,000 members – self-employed and employed barristers – make up a united Bar that’s strong, inclusive, independent and influential.

We lead, represent and support the Bar in the public interest, championing the rule of law and access to justice by:

• providing advice, guidance, services, training and events for our members;
• inspiring and supporting the next generation of barristers;
• drawing on our members’ expertise to influence policy and legislation that relates to the justice system and the rule of law; and
• promoting the Bar of England and Wales to develop career and business opportunities for barristers at home and abroad.

As the General Council of the Bar, we’re the approved regulator for all practising barristers in England and Wales. We delegate our statutory regulatory functions to the operationally independent Bar Standards Board (BSB).

A note from Chair of the Bar Council, Barbara Mills KC:

What does the Bar Council do?

The Bar Council exists to act in the interests of the Bar on all matters relating to the profession.

Support

We support barristers from the very start of their journey at the Bar – our becoming a barrister career hub is home to plenty of guidance and resources for aspiring barristers. Barristers can always turn to the Bar Council for help at any point in their careers. They can access support and assistance on a range of issues, including wellbeing, career development and mentoring. We also provide a confidential equality and diversity helpline as well as an ethical enquiries service for barristers. Find out more about the support we offer on our website.

Representation

We’re a representative body that remains at the forefront of many campaigns in the public interest: defending the rule of law, supporting access to justice and promoting the legal services sector. The Bar Council also campaigns on a range of issues linked to conditions at work, including earnings, the allocation of work, and bullying and harassment.

Training

We offer a range of training courses and events for barristers, networking opportunities at a range both at home and abroad. This helps barristers to develop a list of contacts and clients while helping to strengthen and extend international work and networking opportunities.

The Bar Standards Board

The Bar Standards Board (BSB) regulates barristers in England and Wales and is responsible for setting standards of conduct for barristers and authorising barristers to practise, monitoring the service provided by barristers to assure quality. The BSB’s remit also includes the education and training requirements for becoming a barrister as well as setting continuing training requirements to ensure that barristers’ skills are maintained throughout their careers.

What’s the role of a barrister?

Barristers exist to serve the public. As independent and specialist advocates, barristers help people to uphold their legal rights and obligations, often acting on behalf of the most vulnerable members of society.

The ‘cab rank’ rule

Barristers in England and Wales operate independently under the ‘cab rank’ rule, based on the premise that taxi drivers pick up the first customer at the taxi rank. This rule requires barristers to accept work (otherwise known as instructions) in any field in which they’re an expert, the area of law they practise. Barristers are paid a fee to do the work.

The cab rank rule means a barrister must take a case that’s within their knowledge and expertise provided they’re free to do so, no matter how unpalatable the case. The cab rank rule exists regardless of the barrister’s personal views or opinions about the client or the case.

The rule is highly regarded and a fundamental part of the rule of law. In its simplest form, the rule of law means that “no one is above the law”. For the rule of law to be effective, there must be equality under the law, transparency of law, an independent judiciary and access to legal remedy and representation.

The employed Bar

While many barristers are self-employed and work in chambers, approximately 3,000 (about one-sixth of all barristers) are currently employed and work in-house. Employed barristers practise in various organisations and sectors, from business and government to social and health services. Employed barristers work across a range of areas of law and remain independent but only accept instructions from, and provide legal services to, their employer.

The Bar Council has an Employed Barristers’ Committee that represents and promotes the interests of the employed Bar on everything from career development opportunities and building practice to ensuring a diverse and dynamic profession. Check out our blog series all about undertaking pupillage at the employed Bar.

Deciding whether you want to become a barrister

The Bar is a diverse profession that welcomes individuality and seeks to recruit the brightest talent, irrespective of background. Our becoming a barrister hub is a one-stop-shop to answer all your questions you might as you begin your journey to the Bar.

There you’ll find:

• resources and guidance;
• work experience, volunteering and development opportunities and programmes;
• blogs, videos, Counsel magazine articles and more – all relating to pupillage and becoming a barrister; and
• event registration, including registration to hear when the Bar Council’s Pupillage Fair tickets are available.

The Bar Council’s Pupillage Fair

The Pupillage Fair is the annual free-to-attend exhibition and networking event that offers all the essentials to kickstart a career at the Bar. It’s a great opportunity to find out everything you need to know about a career at the Bar. At the fair, you can:  

• meet pupillage providers and hundreds of barristers from different chambers;
• get advice on everything from CVs and applications to funding and support; and
• meet practising barristers from every area of the law, find out about their work and gain real insight into life as a barrister.

The fair is organised and run with support from the Inns of Court and the Specialist Bar Associations to make sure it covers all angles. Hundreds of volunteers at different stages of their careers are on hand to answer questions and offer advice and guidance.

It’s a huge event and a fun day so it’s worth planning before attending to make sure you get the most out of it. Find out more about the Pupillage Fair.

Supporting the young Bar

Young Barristers’ Committee

Junior barristers can gain access to the Bar Council’s Young Barristers’ Committee (YBC), which represents barristers in all areas of legal practice who are in their first seven years at the Bar. The YBC provides a collective, representative voice for young barristers at the Bar and helps to identify and resolve key challenges. Stay in touch by signing up to the young Bar newsletter.

Volunteering at the Bar

Many aspiring and qualified barristers do voluntary legal work. They’re involved in this ‘pro bono’ work as members of Advocate, the Bar's national pro bono charity or the Free Representation Unit, a charity that provides legal advice, case preparation and advocacy. These organisations facilitate legal assistance between barristers and members of the public who otherwise would have no access to legal representation or support.

Follow the Bar Council

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BlueSky: @thebarcouncil.bsky.social

Website: www.barcouncil.org.uk

More information

For more information on a career at the Bar, please visit the Bar Council website and LawCareers.Net’s Barristers hub. If you have any questions, email: [email protected].