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Talk to Spot is the Bar Council’s confidential reporting platform that enables anyone working in and around the Bar to record or report incidents of bullying, harassment and sexual harassment.
On average, 20 to 30 reports are submitted to Talk to Spot each month. Many barristers will not encounter these behaviours during their career at the Bar, but unfortunately, one in four say they have.
Whether you experience or witness bullying, harassment or inappropriate behaviour, or are supporting someone who has, it’s important that everyone knows how to use Talk to Spot to get help and guidance from the Commissioner for Conduct’s team.
Talk to Spot has been trained to understand those working in and around the Bar. It will walk you through how to record inappropriate moments at work, including at court. It will ask you questions about what happened, like text messaging via a computer. It’ll prompt you to record meaningful and pertinent information about your experience.
You can tell it as much or as little as you’d like and you can remain anonymous if you’d prefer. Once you’ve completed writing your record, you can read it through and make any final changes. You can then save what you’ve written simply as a contemporaneous record, or you can submit the report to the Commissioner for Conduct’s team.
Note: You can remain anonymous throughout the entire process. You will need to include an email address or phone number on the platform so that the Commissioner for Conduct’s team can communicate with you. But they will never know your identity or personal contact details if that’s your preference.
The Commissioner for Conduct’s team will respond to you within 10 working days to discuss your options, support and recommendations for next steps. Often, we’ll ask if you’d like to have a conversation about what happened. If you report something that is serious misconduct and requires regulatory action, then we’ll recommend that you make a report to the Bar Standards Board (BSB).
Once we’ve discussed your options with you over the phone, email or via Talk to Spot if you want to stay anonymous, we’ll agree a way forward led by you – nothing is done without your agreement.
We can support you to raise a concern such as in chambers, with your specialist Bar association, Inn or Circuit (whichever is most appropriate in the circumstances). We can also raise a concern on your behalf, or we can refer it to the BSB (if you wish and agree). Alternatively, you may decide not to take the issue any further – the important thing is that you know your options and have received support.
There may be times when we have to make a referral to the BSB, but this is only when someone makes a report as a third party and isn’t the confidant, and in this situation, we would speak to you before taking any action.
Sam Mercer is Head of Policy: Diversity & Inclusion and CSR at the Bar Council. Prior to this she worked on a portfolio of consultancy projects for blue-chip companies, NHS Trusts, Charities and Government, was Workplace Director at Business in the Community (BITC) and was Chief Executive of the Employers Forum on Age (EFA).
Rachel Krys is a consultant to the Bar Council Equality Diversity and Inclusion team supporting projects to improve the retention and progression of women and under-represented groups at the Bar.
Talk to Spot is the Bar Council’s confidential reporting platform that enables anyone working in and around the Bar to record or report incidents of bullying, harassment and sexual harassment.
On average, 20 to 30 reports are submitted to Talk to Spot each month. Many barristers will not encounter these behaviours during their career at the Bar, but unfortunately, one in four say they have.
Whether you experience or witness bullying, harassment or inappropriate behaviour, or are supporting someone who has, it’s important that everyone knows how to use Talk to Spot to get help and guidance from the Commissioner for Conduct’s team.
Talk to Spot has been trained to understand those working in and around the Bar. It will walk you through how to record inappropriate moments at work, including at court. It will ask you questions about what happened, like text messaging via a computer. It’ll prompt you to record meaningful and pertinent information about your experience.
You can tell it as much or as little as you’d like and you can remain anonymous if you’d prefer. Once you’ve completed writing your record, you can read it through and make any final changes. You can then save what you’ve written simply as a contemporaneous record, or you can submit the report to the Commissioner for Conduct’s team.
Note: You can remain anonymous throughout the entire process. You will need to include an email address or phone number on the platform so that the Commissioner for Conduct’s team can communicate with you. But they will never know your identity or personal contact details if that’s your preference.
The Commissioner for Conduct’s team will respond to you within 10 working days to discuss your options, support and recommendations for next steps. Often, we’ll ask if you’d like to have a conversation about what happened. If you report something that is serious misconduct and requires regulatory action, then we’ll recommend that you make a report to the Bar Standards Board (BSB).
Once we’ve discussed your options with you over the phone, email or via Talk to Spot if you want to stay anonymous, we’ll agree a way forward led by you – nothing is done without your agreement.
We can support you to raise a concern such as in chambers, with your specialist Bar association, Inn or Circuit (whichever is most appropriate in the circumstances). We can also raise a concern on your behalf, or we can refer it to the BSB (if you wish and agree). Alternatively, you may decide not to take the issue any further – the important thing is that you know your options and have received support.
There may be times when we have to make a referral to the BSB, but this is only when someone makes a report as a third party and isn’t the confidant, and in this situation, we would speak to you before taking any action.
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