*/
Barristers will be required to undergo police checks before being Called to the Bar, under plans announced by the regulator.
Following a consultation on future Bar training the Bar Standards Board (BSB) published a policy statement outlining the future role of the Inns of Court and introducing more robust checks to determine the suitability of those being Called.
Alongside the administration of the ‘Fit and Proper Person’ test, prospective barristers will require a ‘standard’ criminal record check, known as a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
Students will continue to be required to join an Inn and complete a minimum number of professional development events, known as ‘qualifying sessions’ – formerly referred to as ‘dining’ – before they are Called.
The BSB said that the Inns were ‘uniquely placed’ to provide that ‘important function’, but added that it will consider in more detail how many sessions would be appropriate.
The regulator recommended that more of the qualifying sessions should be done outside London, through collaboration with circuits and regional training providers.
Ewen Macleod, BSB Director of Strategy and Policy, said: ‘The Inns of Court play an important role throughout a barrister’s career and most of the consultation responses that we received reflect a desire for their continued involvement before prospective barristers are called to the Bar.’
Any new rules will be subject to approval by the BSB and Legal Services Board, and are expected to come into effect in 2019.
Barristers will be required to undergo police checks before being Called to the Bar, under plans announced by the regulator.
Following a consultation on future Bar training the Bar Standards Board (BSB) published a policy statement outlining the future role of the Inns of Court and introducing more robust checks to determine the suitability of those being Called.
Alongside the administration of the ‘Fit and Proper Person’ test, prospective barristers will require a ‘standard’ criminal record check, known as a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
Students will continue to be required to join an Inn and complete a minimum number of professional development events, known as ‘qualifying sessions’ – formerly referred to as ‘dining’ – before they are Called.
The BSB said that the Inns were ‘uniquely placed’ to provide that ‘important function’, but added that it will consider in more detail how many sessions would be appropriate.
The regulator recommended that more of the qualifying sessions should be done outside London, through collaboration with circuits and regional training providers.
Ewen Macleod, BSB Director of Strategy and Policy, said: ‘The Inns of Court play an important role throughout a barrister’s career and most of the consultation responses that we received reflect a desire for their continued involvement before prospective barristers are called to the Bar.’
Any new rules will be subject to approval by the BSB and Legal Services Board, and are expected to come into effect in 2019.
The age of criminal responsibility, extreme weather and conflict resolution – plus, new protocol for reporting bullying at 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
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
Solicitor General Ellie Reeves KC MP discusses her decade as a trade union and employment law barrister, the demands of life as a Law Officer and the number one priority shaping her work. Interview by Anthony Inglese CB
A decade of reviews and research has disrupted accepted thinking in the search for causality. Suicides following abuse have overtaken domestic homicides. Is the law keeping up? Professor Susan Edwards KC (Hon) examines recent cases and the obstacles to successful prosecution
Why every major sporting event needs an anti-corruption policy. By Louis Weston
At least not that way, says Richard Paige
