The Bar Council is experiencing some technical difficulties at the moment which are affecting our members' access to MyBar and the Direct Access Portal. 

All other Bar Council systems are still functioning, including emails, the Bar Council website, Pupillage Gateway, Ethics & Practice Hub, and Wellbeing at the Bar website. 

The Authorisation to Practise deadline has now been extended for a second month, to 30 June 2022, so all those who currently have practising certificates can continue to practise without the need to contact The General Council of the Bar of England and Wales. In the meantime, those who need a practising certificate because they are starting or returning to practice, can be authorised without a certificate if they email records@barcouncil.org.uk. For authorisation to practise without a provisional practising certificate please email contactus@barstandardsboard.org.uk. The expiration date for the Professional Users Courts and Tribunals Access Scheme has also been extended until 31 May 2022 and we will begin this year’s renewal process as soon as we are able to do so.

We apologise if you have had difficulty contacting us during this time. Read our joint statement.