Profession

By the time a barrister first addresses the bench, he or she could have debts of £60,000. Alexander Learmonth considers the young Bar’s debt problem.  

Lord Neuberger’s Entry to the Bar working group assumed that students could leave university as much as £30,000 in debt. The average, according to the PUSH student debt survey (see www.push.co.uk), is £14,452 for students in England, increasing by about 10% per year. The cost of the Bar Vocational Course (BVC) year was estimated at a further £25,000. That’s a fair estimate: some providers are now charging as much as £14,495 for the year, which includes the Bar Standards Board’s validation fee of £395. 

Andrew Mitchell QC explains the work of the Bar Council’s Representation and Policy Secretariat—and what you get for your Members’ Services Fee.  

Few professions have such a direct effect on society as ours, yet for many of us the last few years have felt like an assault course. Those who work at the publicly funded Bar feel squeezed on fees as Government seeks to cut the cost of providing access to justice (inevitably hitting the most vulnerable members of society); while barristers are criticised in the press for the reward they receive for their skill and industry. 

When it comes to encouraging future talent, regardless of background, the Bar is ahead of the times, writes Duncan Matthews QC, in his update on Neuberger implementation.  

The Government White Paper New Opportunities—Fair Chances for the Future is welcome. Even more welcome is the establishment at the same time of the Panel on Fair Access to the Professions. The panel includes Lord Neuberger and former Bar Chairman Geoffrey Vos QC, in his capacity as Chairman of the Social Mobility Foundation—two of the key architects of the Bar’s own work in this area.
The Bar has long recognised that entry to the profession must be characterised by fairness. We were the first profession to introduce an equality and diversity code, in 1995, and we have seen huge improvements. Women now form 50% or more of entrants, and black and minority ethnic (BME) barristers constitute about 20%, against a national figure of 7%. The need for more work in the area of socio-economic background resulted in the Neuberger Working Party, which reported in November 2007 with 57 recommendations which would enhance the recruitment of the most talented, regardless of background. 

It’s a time of uncertainty in the legal services sector, but Simon Garrod explains how the BSB is helping the new regime develop.  

What does the Legal Services Act 2007 mean for the future of the Bar? This question has been the subject of extensive consideration, consultation and activity at the Bar Standards Board (BSB) for some time. In many ways, the consequences of this significant statute represent the great unknown: it facilitates a potential fundamental shift in the way in which legal services are provided to consumers in. 

Sensible maternity provision is the first step to female retention, finds Sarah Grainger, in the first of a series on the opportunities and risks for women taking leave from the Bar.  

We’ve certainly come a long way since Hannah Cross, called to the Bar in 1931 and the first woman member of the Bar Council, had to promise to use the public toilets in Lincoln’s Inn Fields before she was accepted by 1 New Square. But not so far that female representation at the senior levels of the Bar can be taken for granted. Last year’s Sex and Power Report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (September 2008) revealed that a snail could crawl around the M25 nine times in the time (55 years) it will take women to be equally represented in the senior judiciary: traditionally drawn from the senior Bar. 

Flexible working—hardly revolutionary, but underused at the Bar—is the answer to female retention. But it must be adequately rewarded, writes Melissa Coutino.  

Justice for those who have suffered at the hands of war can be hard won. John Cooper explains how the Bar provides an essential pro bono service to those who have suffered through armed conflict.  

The legal profession does not have the luxury of living in a vacuum, either socially or politically. Sometimes the human consequences of political decisions requires from us a committed and extensive reaction. 

With some trepidation, Jacqueline Simpson agreed to wear a stress belt to assess the impact of two days in a life at the Bar.  

As a new tenant and single mother of a five-year-old girl, my diet and fitness regime had somewhat disintegrated over recent years. So I feared the worst when I agreed—albeit for two days—to wear a belt that was supposed to assess my stress level. 

Chambers’ culture can make a huge difference to successful maternity leave, says Sarah Grainger.  

In addition to offering generous maternity policies, the best thing a chambers can do to make retention work is to lead by example. Demonstrating that women members have taken maternity leave and returned to successful practices, and creating a culture where flexible  working is not seen as a problem, goes a long way to form an environment in which taking a maternity break can. 

Join an active network of barristers helping the community at large. Martin Jones explains how you can get involved.  

National Pro Bono Week, which took place in November 2008, celebrated the growing scale and impact of pro bono work by barristers, solicitors, legal executives, law students and other professionals. The launch event reflected a central theme of the week—public legal education—with a mock trial at the Royal Courts of Justice.