*/
More than 500 barristers have criticised the Bar Standards Board’s (BSB’s) training plans.
In an open letter to the BSB Chair, Sir Andrew Burns, QCs, junior barristers and retired judges, including former Lord Chief Justice and Master of the Rolls Lord Woolf, voiced ‘disappointment’ at proposals in Consultation on the Future of Training for the Bar: Future Routes to Authorisation, published in October 2016 and which closed in January.
They said the reforms were ‘not guided by a proper understanding of the BSB’s statutory objective to promote and protect the public interest’, and displayed ‘little comprehension of the practical realities of the profession’.
Blasting the ‘financially crippling’ cost of the BPTC, and disparity in number of students taking it (1,500) compared to the number of puillages on offer each year (430), the letter said that the consultation failed to identify the cause of the current problems, namely that BPTC provision has become a ‘self-serving industry that has vastly outgrown its raison d’être’.
It said the focus should be on ensuring those with a ‘realistic prospect’ of pupillage receive high quality training at the most efficient cost.
The signatories favoured the proposal put forward by the Bar Council and Council of the Inns of Court, for a two-tier process whereby candidates have to pass an online exam before being able to undertake the second, more rigorous, part of the course.
The BSB said it had received a high number of responses and will consider them all before the Board comes to a final decision on the best way forward in the spring.
More than 500 barristers have criticised the Bar Standards Board’s (BSB’s) training plans.
In an open letter to the BSB Chair, Sir Andrew Burns, QCs, junior barristers and retired judges, including former Lord Chief Justice and Master of the Rolls Lord Woolf, voiced ‘disappointment’ at proposals in Consultation on the Future of Training for the Bar: Future Routes to Authorisation, published in October 2016 and which closed in January.
They said the reforms were ‘not guided by a proper understanding of the BSB’s statutory objective to promote and protect the public interest’, and displayed ‘little comprehension of the practical realities of the profession’.
Blasting the ‘financially crippling’ cost of the BPTC, and disparity in number of students taking it (1,500) compared to the number of puillages on offer each year (430), the letter said that the consultation failed to identify the cause of the current problems, namely that BPTC provision has become a ‘self-serving industry that has vastly outgrown its raison d’être’.
It said the focus should be on ensuring those with a ‘realistic prospect’ of pupillage receive high quality training at the most efficient cost.
The signatories favoured the proposal put forward by the Bar Council and Council of the Inns of Court, for a two-tier process whereby candidates have to pass an online exam before being able to undertake the second, more rigorous, part of the course.
The BSB said it had received a high number of responses and will consider them all before the Board comes to a final decision on the best way forward in the spring.
The Bar Council continues to call for investment for the justice system and represent the interests of our profession both at home and abroad
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
Q&A with Tim Lynch of Jordan Lynch Private Finance
By Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
By Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
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
The Amazonian artist’s first international solo exhibition is wholly relevant to current issues in social and environmental justice, says Stephen Cragg KC
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
It’s been five years since the groundbreaking QC competition in which six Black women barristers, including the 2025 Chair of the Bar, took silk. Yet today, the number of Black KCs remains ‘critically low’. Desirée Artesi talks to Baroness Scotland KC, Allison Munroe KC and Melanie Simpson KC about the critical success factors, barriers and ideas for embedding change
