BSB publishes its Annual Report for 2017-18
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has today published its latest annual report summarising its achievements during the 2017-18 business year.
Highlights of the regulator’s work during the second year of its current three-year Strategic Plan included:
- continuing with its Future Bar Training (FBT) programme, including consulting on the rules governing pupillage and the role of the Inns of Court in the training and qualification of barristers;
- responding to the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA’s) recommendations, including consulting on proposals to introduce new transparency standards for the Bar so consumers can make more informed decisions about barristers’ services;
- deciding to change the standard of proof applied in professional misconduct proceedings from the criminal to the civil standard to bring its disciplinary arrangements in line with most other professions;
- beginning to implement a new regulatory approach for barristers working in the Youth Courts, so that the BSB can work closely with them to help improve advocacy standards for young people; and
- publishing new guidance for the public and for professionals on immigration and asylum related legal issues to help people to navigate the legal system more easily.
The report also describes the day to day tasks undertaken by the BSB when regulating barristers and specialised legal businesses in England and Wales in the public interest. This work includes supervising barristers’ chambers, assessing complaints about barristers’ professional conduct, complying with statutory equality and diversity responsibilities, and a range of tasks associated
with overseeing the qualification of new barristers.
BSB Director-General Dr Vanessa Davies said: “We made real progress during 2017-18 and achieved success in many key areas of our regulation, including completing many important aspects of our review into the system by which new barristers train and qualify. We are now in the final year of the current three-year Strategic Plan and I look forward to working with our stakeholders to decide how best to develop our new strategy beyond 2019.”
Read the full BSB Annual Report 2017-18 online.
The BSB has also published a separate document alongside its Annual Report containing the Cost Transparency Metrics for 2017-18 specified by the Legal Services Board. This can also be found on our website.
About the Bar Standards Board
Our mission is to regulate barristers and specialised legal services businesses in England and Wales in the public interest.
For more information about what we do visit: http://bit.ly/1gwui8t