Bar ‘Setting the Pace’ on Social Mobility – New Report
2 December 2009
A report out today shows how the Bar has adopted the widest range of initiatives of any profession to encourage social mobility.
The Bar Council, in conjunction with the Inns of Court, is launching No bar to the Bar, a review of the diverse measures adopted by the profession to help all those of ability to have access to a career as a barrister, regardless of their background.
No bar to the Bar takes stock of the Bar’s continuing work in this area, and gives a snapshot of just some of the talented applicants who have achieved real success at the Bar and within the judiciary.
They include:
- Andrew Powell, a tenant at 4 Paper Buildings
- Kate Grange, a tenant at 39 Essex Street
- Lady Justice Hallett, a member of the Court of Appeal
At launch event in the Temple today will see a number of those featured in the publication address guests on their experiences of coming to the Bar.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is leading on the implementation of the Milburn Report, Unleashing Aspiration: The Final Report of the Panel on Fair Access to the Professions, and David Lammy MP, Minister of State for Higher Education and Intellectual Property, will attend the launch event of No bar to the Bar.
Two members of the Milburn commission - Lord (David) Neuberger and Geoffrey Vos QC, were central to the Bar Council’s 2007 Report on access to the Bar, which was the culmination of years of work by the Bar Council to prioritise talent over social or ethnic background. Its recommendations are now being implemented by a dedicated monitoring group, led by Duncan Matthews QC.
Initiatives which have been established in the last decade include a mentoring scheme; barristers visiting schools to educate pupils about the Bar; and a Chambers placement scheme which sees pupils spending time in barristers’ chambers across England and Wales to learn about the work of the Bar.
Commenting on the launch of No bar to the Bar, Desmond Browne QC, the Chairman of the Bar, said:
“As today’s report shows, the Bar has always tried to set the pace when it comes to social mobility. No one, either at the Bar Council or in the four Inns of Court, wishes to see anything hindering entrance to the Bar by those of sufficient ability, regardless of their social or ethnic background. The life stories in No bar to the Bar, ranging from students and pupils to a QC and a Lady Justice of Appeal, show that today the Bar really is for everyone. Determination and hard work are what matters. Misconceptions that ‘the Bar is just not for me’ are long outdated, and must not be allowed to become self-fulfilling prophecies.”
David Lammy MP, Minister of State at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, said:
“The Bar Council has done an excellent job of helping those of all abilities and from all backgrounds to access a career at the Bar, so I am really pleased that No bar to the Bar highlights the range of innovative schemes running. My own experience in accessing the Bar tells me that the hands which people are dealt in early life should not be a barrier to accessing work and education. Government continues to work with employers and businesses to make sure access to jobs is fair, open and transparent, and we have a good track record in this area.
“In our schools, the pupils from the most disadvantaged backgrounds have seen the fastest rises in results and we continue to build closer links between schools and universities to further grow the record numbers of students currently in higher education. But as Alan Milburn identified in his report on access to the professions earlier this year, there is more we can do. That is why we have addressed some of these issues in our recent framework for the future of higher education, our Information, Advice and Guidance strategy and our Skills Strategy and we will say more on this in due course.”
Kawsar Zaman, now a first-year law undergraduate at the London School of Economics, and a participant in the 2007 Chambers Placement Scheme, said:
“The placement has done everything for me. It’s made me really consider a career at the Bar, given me great contacts, and has said to me, ‘I can do it’. I would unreservedly recommend it to others. It is unique. I don’t think there is anything out there that compares with this and the best thing about the placement is that it is not simply a one week placement and then it ends there. The people you meet and come across are people who will help you in the future and in my case, became real friends.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
1. The progress of the Neuberger Implementation and Monitoring Group can be tracked on the Bar Council website here.
2. No bar to the Bar can be found on the Bar Council website at www.barcouncil.org.uk; for a copy of the booklet or more information please contact the Bar Council Press Office on 020 7222 2525.
3. A reception to mark the launch of No bar to the Bar will be held at 12:15 – 2pm at the Parliament Chamber, Inner Temple. Those wishing to attend should contact Natasha Foy on 020 7611 1366.
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.
