*/
The cost of legal education deters good candidates from less privileged backgrounds, the regulator was told.
A summary of the BSB’s initial responses to its consultation Future Bar Training showed that many respondents thought the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) was ‘prohibitively expensive’ and could be deterring students from a career at the Bar.
Though some thought the course, which costs up to £19,000, was value for money and were concerned that making it cheaper could compromise quality and increase applications.
A small majority of respondents supported the proposed two-stage vocational course, where only those who pass the initial online stage go on to the second part. The model is designed to filter out students likely to fail or be unable to obtain pupillage.
Supporters said it would make the preliminary part of the vocational stage cheaper, while opponents were concerned that it might reduce diversity, lower students’ expectations, and create a two-tier pathway and the separation of knowledge and skills training.
There was opposition to raising the required degree classification from 2:2 to 2:1, largely due to concerns about reducing diversity.
The BSB expects to establish a ‘preferred approach’ this summer, and will publish a consultation later in the year. See also 'The BPTC in statistics' (Counsel, March 2016).
The cost of legal education deters good candidates from less privileged backgrounds, the regulator was told.
A summary of the BSB’s initial responses to its consultation Future Bar Training showed that many respondents thought the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) was ‘prohibitively expensive’ and could be deterring students from a career at the Bar.
Though some thought the course, which costs up to £19,000, was value for money and were concerned that making it cheaper could compromise quality and increase applications.
A small majority of respondents supported the proposed two-stage vocational course, where only those who pass the initial online stage go on to the second part. The model is designed to filter out students likely to fail or be unable to obtain pupillage.
Supporters said it would make the preliminary part of the vocational stage cheaper, while opponents were concerned that it might reduce diversity, lower students’ expectations, and create a two-tier pathway and the separation of knowledge and skills training.
There was opposition to raising the required degree classification from 2:2 to 2:1, largely due to concerns about reducing diversity.
The BSB expects to establish a ‘preferred approach’ this summer, and will publish a consultation later in the year. See also 'The BPTC in statistics' (Counsel, March 2016).
Chair of the Bar reflects on 2025
Q&A with criminal barrister Nick Murphy, who moved to New Park Court Chambers on the North Eastern Circuit in search of a better work-life balance
Revolt Cycling in Holborn, London’s first sustainable fitness studio, invites barristers to join the revolution – turning pedal power into clean energy
Rachel Davenport, Co-founder and Director at AlphaBiolabs, reflects on how the company’s Giving Back ethos continues to make a difference to communities across the UK
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
Professor Dominic Regan and Seán Jones KC present their best buys for this holiday season
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
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
With automation now deeply embedded in the Department for Work Pensions, Alexander McColl and Alexa Thompson review what we know, what we don’t and avenues for legal challenge
