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.

International

The international team, supported by the International Committee, provides a wide variety of services to assist and support members of the Bar in developing, strengthening and maintaining their international practice. These include:

We also stand up for and speak out against rule of law crises around the world, through statements and intervention letters.

How chambers and SBAs can get involved in the Bar Council’s international work

There are various opportunities for specialist bar associations (SBAs) and chambers to become involved in international activities. Some examples of such opportunities include:

Sponsoring seminars and receptions for incoming delegations of overseas lawyers;
Advertising in international marketing publications;
Sponsoring the International Legal and Professional Development Grants Programme (for SBAs and circuits only);
Hosting overseas lawyers in chambers as part of one of our exchange schemes. For example, the Bar Council Training Scheme for Chinese lawyers, or the Latin American Exchange Programme.

For all enquiries related to international relations and international practice issues, and for information on how you can get involved, please contact a member of the International Policy team.

The team is supported by our International Committee which consists of up to 30 members that have significant knowledge of overseas jurisdictions and that represent many practice areas. If you are interested in serving on this Committee, please email the Head of International Policy.

Subscribe to the Bar Council’s international newsletter.