Bar Council Launches It’s Your Call – A Career at the Bar
3 November 2009
The Bar Council has published the fourth annual edition of It’s Your Call, a guide for those interested in joining the Bar. The guide, published in collaboration with the Inns of Court, is the latest in a series of publications designed to inform the public and those interested in a career as a barrister.
This edition of It’s Your Call provides comprehensive information on the steps required to become a practising barrister, along with a realistic assessment of the challenges faced by those interested in joining this rewarding and demanding profession.
The financial cost of training is often a significant deterrent to those considering a career at the Bar, and the publication contains detailed information about the cost of vocational courses from the various providers, along with advice on how to secure funding for the course.
Practical advice offered includes tips for enhancing your CV and the essential skills needed for a career at the Bar. The guide also includes case studies from law students and barristers at various stages of their career, along with insights on the range of specialisms available.
It’s Your Call forms part of the Bar’s efforts to demystify the profession and widen access for people from all backgrounds, following Lord Neuberger’s Entry to the Bar Working Party Report, published in 2007.
Commenting on the publication of It’s Your Call, Nicholas Green QC, Vice Chairman of the Bar Council said:
“The Bar Council is committed to attracting talent to the Bar from all social and ethnic backgrounds. The Bar recently contributed to the work of the Panel on Fair Access to the Professions, chaired by Alan Milburn MP, and runs a number of initiatives to encourage inclusion and diversity, including Chambers’ Placement Schemes. It also provides significant practitioner and financial support for the highly popular Bar Mock Trial Competition.
Embarking on a career at the Bar can at times appear daunting and costly. We hope that It’s Your Call will provide accessible, up-to-date information to help those considering a career at the Bar, and enable them to make informed decisions on their future training and careers.”
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Notes to Editors
1. For further information please contact the Bar Council Press Office on 020 7222 2525.
2. It’s Your Call can be downloaded from http://www.barcouncil.org.uk/trainingandeducation/CareersHome/ItsYourCall/
3. Lord Neuberger’s Entry to the Bar Working Party Report can be downloaded from http://cms.barcouncil.rroom.net/assets/documents/FinalReportNeuberger.pdf
4. The General Council of the Bar is the Approved Regulator of the Bar of England and Wales. It discharges its regulatory functions through the independent Bar Standards Board. It represents the Bar by:
- Promoting the specialist advocacy and advisory services of barristers;
- Ensuring access to justice on terms that are fair both to the public and practitioners;
- Promoting the high quality training and professional development of all barristers to ensure the highest standards of practice and ethical behaviour;
- Working for the efficient and cost-effective administration of justice;
- Encouraging access to, and diversity within, the profession so that it is open to all people of ability whatever their background; and
- Strengthening and developing the work and the values of the Bar at home and abroad.
