Bar Standards Board

Bar Standards Board logo

The Bar Standards Board regulates barristers in England and Wales in the public interest.

It is responsible for:

• Setting standards of conduct for barristers and authorising barristers to practise;
• Monitoring the service provided by barristers to assure quality;
• Setting the education and training requirements for becoming a barrister as well as setting continuing training requirements to ensure that barristers’ skills are maintained throughout their careers; and
• Handling complaints against barristers and taking enforcement or other action where appropriate

The BSB's functions were originally carried out by the Bar Council, the barristers' representative body, until 2006 when the Bar Council created the BSB as an independent regulator. However the Legal Services Board has questioned the independence of the BSB from the Bar Council.

The BSB's governing board meets monthly at its headquarters in High Holborn, London, and holds public and private sessions. It has a majority of lay (non-barrister) members and the remainder are barristers. Its chair is Sir Andrew Burns KCMG who joined in January 2015. The vice-chair, since January 2013, is Patricia Robertson QC, a barrister at Fountain Court Chambers. She replaced Sir Geoffrey Nice.

Members of the BSB's board as of January 2015 are:

Barrister Members: Ms Justine Davidge, Mr Simon Lofthouse QC, Mr Sam Stein QC, Andrew Mitchell QC, and Adam Solomon.

Lay Members: Ms Rolande Anderson, Mr Rob Behrens, Dr Malcolm Cohen JP, Mr Tim Robinson, Professor Andrew Sanders, Mr Richard Thompson, Dr Anne Wright, and Nicola Sawford (joins the Board from September 2015).

Special Advisers: Ms Sarah Brown, Mr Matthew Nicklin QC, Ms Emily Windsor, and Keith Baldwin.

See also

• Barristers in England and Wales

External links

• Official website