*/
Cheaper and more flexible routes to qualification have been mooted in a consultation published by the Bar Standards Board (BSB).
Mixing up the academic, vocational and pupillage stages is suggested in a paper that the BSB said could result in the “most sweeping reforms” in a generation.
Focus groups, comprising 51 people, including 21 barristers, set up to inform the paper, agreed that change is needed to address the cost, content and reputation of the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) and lack of pupillages.
One new barrister said: “The BPTC is actually exploitative. Providers don’t care about you, they care about the money.”
The BSB’s Director of Education and Training, Dr Simon Thornton-Wood, said, “We have reached a crucial stage of considering what the future of a more flexible system of training and qualifying might look like”.
The consultation closes on 30 October. A further paper on more concrete reforms will follow in 2016.
Speaking at the Australian Bar Association conference, Bar chairman Alistair MacDonald QC also called for an overhaul of the BPTC to make it cheaper and more flexible.
He said that he supported the idea of the director of the Council of Inns of Court, James Wakefield, to spilt the course into two parts, with the first knowledge-based element delivered online and the second practical part delivered over a shorter period than at present.
MacDonald said: “I have every reason to believe that this system will be accepted and will become available in the foreseeable future.”
Meanwhile, the Bar Council has brought forward the opening of the Pupillage Gateway – the online application system – from April to January so that candidates know if they have secured pupillage before committing to the BPTC.
Cheaper and more flexible routes to qualification have been mooted in a consultation published by the Bar Standards Board (BSB).
Mixing up the academic, vocational and pupillage stages is suggested in a paper that the BSB said could result in the “most sweeping reforms” in a generation.
Focus groups, comprising 51 people, including 21 barristers, set up to inform the paper, agreed that change is needed to address the cost, content and reputation of the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) and lack of pupillages.
One new barrister said: “The BPTC is actually exploitative. Providers don’t care about you, they care about the money.”
The BSB’s Director of Education and Training, Dr Simon Thornton-Wood, said, “We have reached a crucial stage of considering what the future of a more flexible system of training and qualifying might look like”.
The consultation closes on 30 October. A further paper on more concrete reforms will follow in 2016.
Speaking at the Australian Bar Association conference, Bar chairman Alistair MacDonald QC also called for an overhaul of the BPTC to make it cheaper and more flexible.
He said that he supported the idea of the director of the Council of Inns of Court, James Wakefield, to spilt the course into two parts, with the first knowledge-based element delivered online and the second practical part delivered over a shorter period than at present.
MacDonald said: “I have every reason to believe that this system will be accepted and will become available in the foreseeable future.”
Meanwhile, the Bar Council has brought forward the opening of the Pupillage Gateway – the online application system – from April to January so that candidates know if they have secured pupillage before committing to the BPTC.
Chair of the Bar reports back
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
A £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs has been made to the leading UK charity tackling international parental child abduction and the movement of children across international borders
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, outlines the drug and alcohol testing options available for family law professionals, and how a new, free guide can help identify the most appropriate testing method for each specific case
By Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, examines the latest ONS data on drug misuse and its implications for toxicology testing in family law cases
A career shaped by advocacy beyond her practice, and the realities of living with an invisible disability – Dr Natasha Shotunde, Black Barristers’ Network Co-Founder and its Chair for seven years, reflects on a decade at the Bar
The odds of success are as unforgiving as ever, but ambition clearly isn’t in short supply. David Wurtzel’s annual deep‑dive into the competition cohort shows who’s entering, who’s thriving and the trends that will define the next wave
Where to start and where to find help? Monisha Shah, Chair of the King’s Counsel Selection Panel, provides an overview of the silk selection process, debunking some myths along the way
Do chatbot providers owe a duty of care for negligent misstatements? Jasper Wong suggests that the principles applicable to humans should apply equally to machines
There is no typical day in the life as a Supreme Court judicial assistant, says Josephine Gillingwater, and that’s what makes the role so enjoyably diverse
