Throughout history, the Bar has constantly changed to meet society’s needs and become more representative of the society it serves. Ahead of the profession coming together to discuss what’s next for the Bar at this year’s conference, we’ll examine the Bar in numbers, taking a closer look at the changes we’ve seen over the last few decades.
The number of practising barristers in England and Wales has grown substantially over the past 35 years, almost doubling in size since 1990/91 when there were just 9,541 barristers.
Today there are 17,864 barristers practising in England and Wales, 3,017 of which are employed and the Young Bar (those under 7 years’ Call) making up almost 23% of the profession.
Who is joining the Bar and how is it changing?
Our Pupillage Gateway report shows that the bar to entering the profession is high.
Applicants with a First Class Honours degree are twice as likely to secure a pupillage offer than those with a 2:1. No students with a 2:2 or a Third-Class Honours degree secured a pupillage offer in 2024 via the Pupillage Gateway.
The average age of pupils has slightly increased over the past 35 years. In 1990/1, the average age of pupils was 27.2 – now most (52.5%) candidates who secure pupillage are between the age of 25 and 34.
In 2023/24, 14.6% of those offered pupillage via our Pupillage Gateway said they had a disability. Of the 261 applicants who had pupillage offers recorded on our Pupillage Gateway, 75.5% were White, 9.2% were of multiple ethnicities, 7.3% were Asian/Asian British and 2.7% were Black.
Our Barristers’ Working Lives 2023 survey found more barristers (18%) aged under 35 reported being LGBTQ+ compared with declining proportions among the older age groups and just 4% of the 65 plus age group.
A disproportionately high number of barristers attended UK independent schools, according to the Bar Standards Board.
As of December last year, 19.4% of the Bar attended an independent school between the ages of 11 and 18 compared to 6.5% of school children in England. However, the percentage of privately educated barristers is gradually falling.
Our latest Pupillage Gateway report also shows that applicants from lower socio-economic backgrounds remain less likely to receive a pupillage offer (when using parents’ occupation and free school meals as a metric).
Who is leaving?
Data shows that retention remains a challenge, particularly among women.
Among barristers who started their practice in the early 1990s, around 24% of male barristers had left practice before year 15, compared with around 35% of female barristers. For those starting practice during the 5-year period from 2002 to 2007, the figure was around 20% for men and 27% for women.
Looking at those at the very beginning of their careers, two-thirds of those who answered our latest Pupil Survey said a career at the Bar was viable moving forwards, an increase from the previous year. However, women, pupils mainly working in crime, and those with a disability were less likely to see a future career at the Bar.
Women at the Bar
In May 1922, Dr Ivy Williams became the first woman to be called to the Bar and 6 months later Helena Normanton became the first woman to practise at the Bar. The following year, Mithan Tata became the first woman to be called by Lincoln's Inn and the first practising Indian woman barrister and a decade later in 1933, Stella Thomas became the first Black woman to be called to the Bar.
Since 1990, the percentage of women at the Bar has almost doubled from 21.6% to 40.28% today and the Bar Council now has its first all-women officer team in its 132-year history.
When we look at entry to the profession, more women are applying for and securing pupillage than men. Our latest Pupillage Gateway Report found that more pupillage offers are going to women (57.5%) than men (37.2%).
However men are twice as likely as women to have pupillage awards of £60,000 or more, according to our Pupil Survey.
While more women than men are entering the profession, our analysis of gross earnings declared by the self-employed Bar reveal that women are earning less than men from the very beginning of their careers in every area of practice area with gaps persisting across every post qualification experience (PQE) band.
Our latest data shows that junior women earn on average 77% of what junior men are earn. Women silks were earning, on average, 67% of their male colleagues’ median gross earnings.
The widest gaps are in commercial and chancery practice, where women at 11-15 years PQE were earning 57% of their male colleagues’ median fee income.
Crime is the single biggest practice area… for now?
The biggest single practice area is crime with 27% of barristers’ practising crime as their main area.
As our Bar Conference session ‘justice under review: challenges, reform and renewal in the system’ will explore, criminal justice is at breaking point, impacting those working within the system.
A survey carried out by the Criminal Bar Association earlier this year revealed that one in three criminal barristers is actively considering moving their practice into another discipline.
Family is the second biggest main practice area (16%). It is also the only area of practice where there are more women than men.
More work to be done
The proportion of the Bar from a minority ethnic background has increased by 4.3 percentage points in the last decade, and now make up 17.3% of the profession as of December 2024. Anecdotally, barristers have told us in focus groups that the Bar is starting to feel more inclusive.
However, there is more work to be done.
While pupillage-to-tenancy conversion rates are comparable between different ethnic groups, our Race at the Bar: Three Years On report found Black/Black British barristers are less likely to get immediate tenancy. They are also the most likely to go onto a probationary tenancy and the most likely to initially become a ‘squatter’ (though recent data suggests this is improving).
The report also found that in all areas of practice, and at all stages of career, White barristers earn more than Black and Asian barristers.
Becoming King’s Counsel
There is now a total of 2,147 King’s Counsel in England and Wales with January 2025 seeing the biggest cohort of barristers elevated to silk in four years.
Of the 105 successful applicants, 18 declared an ethnic origin other than White. However, none of the 10 Black applicants and none of the 5 employed applicants were successful in this round.
This demonstrated that there is a need to better under the factors that impact the success of Black applicants, as well as ensuring the right support is available for those wishing to apply to demonstrate their excellence in advocacy.
Last year, we celebrated 75 years of women silks, with there now being more than 640 women KCs appointed since 1949. Helena Normanton and Rose Heilbron became the first women in England and Wales to take silk and became KCs under King George VI.
Career pathways, including taking silk, will be discussed at Bar Conference this Saturday with employed barrister and Vice Chair elect Heidi Stonecliffe KC sitting on the panel as well as Co-Chair of our Race Panel Laurie-Anne Power KC.