*/
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has recommended that new rules on publishing fees should cover all self-employed barristers, in a bid to increase transparency for lay clients.
The proposal extends beyond the recommendations from the Competition and Markets Authority, which called for the publication of fees only for barristers conducting public access work.
In a paper, Response to the Competition and Market Authority’s recommendations, the BSB outlines two methods by which this could be done. Option one would be for self-employed barristers in chambers to provide individual price and service information on their chambers’ website. While option two, which the BSB prefers, would be for chambers to publish ‘blended price and service information’ on their websites for all of the barristers in their set, taking the form of price ranges, indicative fees for standard work, or average fees.
BSB Director of Strategy and Policy, Ewen Macleod, said: ‘There must be a balance between improving consumer understanding and genuinely promoting competition on the one hand, and not overburdening barristers and chambers or producing information overload for clients on the other.’
He said the BSB had outlined an approach that would achieve that balance, but said it is ‘open-minded about the best way forward.
The consultation closes on 5 January 2018, and the BSB will be holding meetings around the country to listen to the views of all interested parties.
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has recommended that new rules on publishing fees should cover all self-employed barristers, in a bid to increase transparency for lay clients.
The proposal extends beyond the recommendations from the Competition and Markets Authority, which called for the publication of fees only for barristers conducting public access work.
In a paper, Response to the Competition and Market Authority’s recommendations, the BSB outlines two methods by which this could be done. Option one would be for self-employed barristers in chambers to provide individual price and service information on their chambers’ website. While option two, which the BSB prefers, would be for chambers to publish ‘blended price and service information’ on their websites for all of the barristers in their set, taking the form of price ranges, indicative fees for standard work, or average fees.
BSB Director of Strategy and Policy, Ewen Macleod, said: ‘There must be a balance between improving consumer understanding and genuinely promoting competition on the one hand, and not overburdening barristers and chambers or producing information overload for clients on the other.’
He said the BSB had outlined an approach that would achieve that balance, but said it is ‘open-minded about the best way forward.
The consultation closes on 5 January 2018, and the BSB will be holding meetings around the country to listen to the views of all interested parties.
Chair of the Bar reflects on 2025
Q&A with criminal barrister Nick Murphy, who moved to New Park Court Chambers on the North Eastern Circuit in search of a better work-life balance
Revolt Cycling in Holborn, London’s first sustainable fitness studio, invites barristers to join the revolution – turning pedal power into clean energy
Rachel Davenport, Co-founder and Director at AlphaBiolabs, reflects on how the company’s Giving Back ethos continues to make a difference to communities across the UK
By Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
AlphaBiolabs has made a £500 donation to Sean’s Place, a men’s mental health charity based in Sefton, as part of its ongoing Giving Back initiative
Little has changed since Burns v Burns . Cohabiting couples deserve better than to be left on the blasted heath with the existing witch’s brew for another four decades, argues Christopher Stirling
Six months of court observation at the Old Bailey: APPEAL’s Dr Nisha Waller and Tehreem Sultan report their findings on prosecution practices under joint enterprise
Despite its prevalence, autism spectrum disorder remains poorly understood in the criminal justice system. Does Alex Henry’s joint enterprise conviction expose the need to audit prisons? asks Dr Felicity Gerry KC
With automation now deeply embedded in the Department for Work Pensions, Alexander McColl and Alexa Thompson review what we know, what we don’t and avenues for legal challenge
Why were some Caribbean nations given such dramatically different constitutional frameworks when they gained independence from the UK? Dr Leonardo Raznovich examines the controversial savings clause
