*/
Large sections of the Bar will fare less well in the future and the number of barristers will decline – that’s the bleak prediction of a new report.
The Ministry of Justice (“MoJ”) may like to feed public perceptions of “fat cat barristers”, but new research by Jomati Consultants LLP suggests thousands of barristers are set to earn less and the Bar will contract after a “Golden Age” of unprecedented growth that started in the 1970s.
The report, Challenges and Choices: The Bar in Flux claims that many barristers face a “perfect storm”. It sets out the following evidence to back up its view:
In response, the Bar Council and Bar Standards Board have permitted new structures such as ProcureCo, which allow barristers to secure work directly from clients.
In July, Counsel reported a YouGov survey of nearly 2,000 barristers which showed 43 per cent were interested in setting up shop with solicitors, a quarter were interested in forming businesses with clerks or non-lawyers and a third were likely to join a new business structure in the next five years.
Tony Williams, Jomati principal and former managing partner of Clifford Chance, said: “The ProcureCo is not a silver bullet and barristers may have to completely re-examine the way their chambers operates in order to secure sufficient flow and quality of work in the future.”
The Ministry of Justice (“MoJ”) may like to feed public perceptions of “fat cat barristers”, but new research by Jomati Consultants LLP suggests thousands of barristers are set to earn less and the Bar will contract after a “Golden Age” of unprecedented growth that started in the 1970s.
The report, Challenges and Choices: The Bar in Flux claims that many barristers face a “perfect storm”. It sets out the following evidence to back up its view:
In response, the Bar Council and Bar Standards Board have permitted new structures such as ProcureCo, which allow barristers to secure work directly from clients.
In July, Counsel reported a YouGov survey of nearly 2,000 barristers which showed 43 per cent were interested in setting up shop with solicitors, a quarter were interested in forming businesses with clerks or non-lawyers and a third were likely to join a new business structure in the next five years.
Tony Williams, Jomati principal and former managing partner of Clifford Chance, said: “The ProcureCo is not a silver bullet and barristers may have to completely re-examine the way their chambers operates in order to secure sufficient flow and quality of work in the future.”
Large sections of the Bar will fare less well in the future and the number of barristers will decline – that’s the bleak prediction of a new report.
Making a move from the Bar to a career in governance: Maria Brookes outlines three good reasons to switch and how to do it
Inés Rivera explains how speech recognition can help barristers create accurate documentation faster
What should barristers be doing on the personal finance front ahead of the end of the tax year on 5 April? Julian Morgan of Fleet Street Wealth answers your questions
Are you ready to embark on this arduous but potentially rewarding journey? Julie Gottlieb of Sherwood PSF Consulting provides a self-examination checklist, hints and tips to help you prepare for a future application
Unlocking your aged debt to augment cash flow in one easy step… By Philip N Bristow of Vector Professions Finance
The Westminster Commission on Miscarriages of Justice, set up to revisit the work of the CCRC after 25 years of operation, identified serious issues that risk miscarriages of justice remaining unidentified or unremedied. By Edward Garnier QC Michelle Nelson QC
Unsparing in his criticism, the former Attorney General reflects on recent events in government and his own experience of being chief legal adviser. Interview by Anthony Inglese CB
Making a move from the Bar to a career in governance: Maria Brookes outlines three good reasons to switch and how to do it
Sports coaches will be caught by a change in the law that addresses the disparity in treatment for 16- to 17-year-olds, writes Cameron Brown QC
Dissent and protest are a healthy safety valve for every democracy, write Sailesh Mehta and Caroline Baker, yet recent events have put the proposals around policing public protest under the spotlight and many do not like what they see