Since the early days of practice, I (like all of us) was sent all sorts of advice and information from the Bar Council, often at an impressive frequency. It was not always straightforward to work out which were the most important parts – but one of them is the contribution made by the profession through the Bar Representation Fee (BRF).

Paying the BRF provides you with offers and discounts but, more importantly, it is a way to support the Bar Council’s work on behalf of barristers. I am currently one of the Chairs of the Bar Representation Committee, so I see how much the Bar Council does; but you don’t have to be involved at that level to gain the benefit or recognise its importance.

Although the Bar Council receives some funding from our practising certificate fees, the majority goes to the Bar Standards Board’s (BSB’s) regulatory activities. The BSB gets about 71% of the funding. The Bar Council only gets 25%. That means that the Bar Council cannot do all we expect of it without barristers voluntarily contributing through the BRF.

That work includes considering and responding to proposals for legal reform, such as detailed responses to government consultations and scrutiny of proposed legislation. It includes supporting barristers through the Ethical Enquiries Service (the ‘ethics hotline’ that I’m sure most of us have used), which responded to almost 4,000 queries last year, and the Ethics and Practice Hub website, with nearly 200 guides and templates to support individual barristers and sets of chambers. It also includes the work of the Chambers Management Panel, which provides guidance and support to chambers management committees.

A recent important and high-profile project was Baroness Harman’s review into bullying and harassment at the Bar, which generated 36 recommendations that the relevant bodies are now working to implement.

Another achievement was the Bar Council’s report on remote hearings. It recommended greater consistency in the way courts list cases. The Lady Chief Justice said recently that it was this report that led to the judiciary establishing Lady Justice Yip’s working group on remote participation.

A well-known success has been the Professional Users’ Court and Tribunals Access Scheme (the ID cards that get us through security at court, commonly known as the ‘Bar Pass’). This is one of the most popular services provided by the Bar Council – and it would not have been possible without funds from the BRF, which were used to pay for the infrastructure that set up, and now maintains, the scheme.

All of these are essential activities for the organisation that represents members of the Bar. Even with hundreds of volunteers on the main committees, the Bar Council could not provide all the services it does without BRF contributions.

Paying the BRF also provides you with individual benefits. Aside from Counsel magazine, there is a raft of discounts with retailers available through the Member Benefits Portal (Reward Gateway), and BRF subscribers receive 20% off the price of all Bar Council events and training (including on topics such as mediation training, direct access qualification, cyber security and pupil supervisor training).

Only BRF subscribers can advertise on the public-facing Direct Access Portal or take part in the Bar Council’s international business development visits.

A new benefit, launched last year in response to requests from barristers, is the ability to sign up to DoctorLine: an exclusive subscription service that gives 24-hour access to a GP for you, your partner and your dependants for only £40 per year.

All of these advantages, and more, are available when you contribute; but the main and most important function of the BRF is to allow you to support the work of the Bar Council. By contributing, you will be helping yourself and your professional colleagues. You can even pay monthly by direct debit.

Why not sign up now? You don’t need to wait until next March! Find out more.