Press releases

Bar Council - Private Legal Advice Must be Protected

2 February 2012

Following a report published today by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) on the use of undercover police officers, the Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has urged the Government to protect the fundamental right of citizens to hold private conversations with their lawyers.

Bar Council and Bar Standards Board Release Barristers' Working Lives Survey Results

31 January 2012

The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, and the Bar Standards Board (BSB), the regulator of barristers in England and Wales, have today released the results of Barristers' Working Lives, the first in a planned series of biennial surveys of the Bar.

Bar Council and Criminal Bar Association Lead on EU Factsheet on Defendants' Rights

30 January 2012

The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, and the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) have played a leading role in the development of a factsheet which outlines the rights of defendants in the English and Welsh justice system.

Bar Council Urges Government to Amend Civil Litigation Reforms

30 January 2012

As Peers debate reforms to civil litigation funding within Part 2 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Bill, the Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has urged the Government to consider seriously its alternative proposals for reform.

Bar Council Welcomes CPS Panel Appointments

19 January 2012

The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has welcomed the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) announcement regarding appointments to its new Advocacy Panel. However, it has acknowledged the length of time taken to reach this stage, as many practitioners have faced an uncertain future, at a time of increasing pressure on their services.

Bar Council and Bar Standards Board Publish 'Bar Barometer' Report on the Profession

18 January 2012

The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, and the Bar Standards Board (BSB), the regulator of barristers in England and Wales, have today published the first full edition of Bar Barometer, an annual report on statistical trends within the Bar.

Bar Council Calls on Government to Support Principle of Contingent Legal Aid Fund

13 December 2011

The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has today published a report it commissioned from economic consultants Europe Economics, which has found that the concept of Contingent Legal Aid Funds (CLAF) has merit and should be taken forward as one of a number of sources of potential funding for civil litigation.

Bar Council Welcomes Formal Opening of Rolls Building

7 December 2011

The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has welcomed the formal opening of the Rolls Building, by Her Majesty The Queen.

Incoming Bar Chairman: Invest in the Future

5 December 2011

In his inaugural address this evening to the Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, Michael Todd QC, who becomes Chairman of the Bar on 1 January 2012, called on the Government and the Bar to invest in the future.

Bar Council Welcomes Postponement of Competition Reforms but Urges Swift Settlement of Outstanding Advocates' Fees

1 December 2011

The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has welcomed much of today’s Written Ministerial Statement published by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), which has announced substantial postponement of the implementation of planned price-based competition for the Criminal Defence Service.