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One in five employed barristers and more than one in ten at the self-employed Bar have been harassed or bullied at work, according to a Bar Council report.
Barristers’ Working Lives 2017: Harassment and bullying revealed that 21% of employed and 12% of self-employed barristers reported being harassed or bullied at work in the two years prior to the survey, up from 3% at the employed Bar and 5% at the self-employed Bar in 2013.
Almost a third of employed barristers and 17% of self-employed barristers said they had observed harassment or bullying of others, an increase of 9% and 8% respectively from 2013.
Reports of discrimination were also up, with 16% of employed and 13% of self-employed respondents stating that they had personally experienced discrimination and 20% and 15% respectively saying they had witnessed it.
Fellow barristers were most commonly cited as being responsible, accounting for around half of all acts of bullying, harassment or discrimination.
The report showed that harassment, bullying and discrimination was worst at the criminal Bar and the most common form was based on gender, accounting for 53% of instances, while 16% was based on ethnicity.
Bar Chair Andrew Walker QC said: ‘The results are a cause for concern and cannot be ignored. As a profession, we must do much better. We do not and will not tolerate harassment and bullying at the Bar.’
The Bar Council offers a confidential helpline, training and other support to individuals and chambers and has published a work programme to tackle the problem. It is also working with the Bar Standards Board to ensure rules about reporting encourage chambers and others to address unacceptable behaviour. See here for more information.
See analysis in next issue.
One in five employed barristers and more than one in ten at the self-employed Bar have been harassed or bullied at work, according to a Bar Council report.
Barristers’ Working Lives 2017: Harassment and bullying revealed that 21% of employed and 12% of self-employed barristers reported being harassed or bullied at work in the two years prior to the survey, up from 3% at the employed Bar and 5% at the self-employed Bar in 2013.
Almost a third of employed barristers and 17% of self-employed barristers said they had observed harassment or bullying of others, an increase of 9% and 8% respectively from 2013.
Reports of discrimination were also up, with 16% of employed and 13% of self-employed respondents stating that they had personally experienced discrimination and 20% and 15% respectively saying they had witnessed it.
Fellow barristers were most commonly cited as being responsible, accounting for around half of all acts of bullying, harassment or discrimination.
The report showed that harassment, bullying and discrimination was worst at the criminal Bar and the most common form was based on gender, accounting for 53% of instances, while 16% was based on ethnicity.
Bar Chair Andrew Walker QC said: ‘The results are a cause for concern and cannot be ignored. As a profession, we must do much better. We do not and will not tolerate harassment and bullying at the Bar.’
The Bar Council offers a confidential helpline, training and other support to individuals and chambers and has published a work programme to tackle the problem. It is also working with the Bar Standards Board to ensure rules about reporting encourage chambers and others to address unacceptable behaviour. See here for more information.
See analysis in next issue.
Update from the Chair of the Bar
By David Green
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, examines the forensic science underpinning hair drug testing, its evidential scope and limitations, and why it remains the gold standard for evidencing patterns of drug use in family proceedings
Unlocking your aged debt to fund your tax in one easy step. By Philip N Bristow
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, discusses the upcoming changes to pensions and Inheritance Tax and the potential impact on your financial future
Save the Children UK is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
The Chief Legal Officer to the Metropolitan Police, barrister Brett Welch, tells Anthony Inglese CB about his mission and the work to turn the Met around
Barrister apprenticeships – shortly to provide the fourth pathway to the Bar – are an ideal opportunity to support local talent and ‘grow your own’, say Tim Coulson and Dr Jane Dennehy
Grok around and find out – or not? Mariya Peykova investigates the nudification scandal, what the law has to say about sexually explicit deepfakes, and whether stronger regulation is needed
Oliver Lewis spotlights an overlooked yet rapidly evolving area of law – coercive and controlling behaviour within care contexts
For one night only at Middle Temple Hall (Sunday 26 July 2026) – Abigail Bright introduces the famed annual fundraising theatrical event. This year, Martin Shaw and Jason Watkins perform John Mortimer’s The Dock Brief, a mixture of farce and pathos and all in support of the work of the Kalisher Trust in its 30th year
