The Chair of the Bar and the Bar Council's senior team are setting the agenda for how to best represent the Bar in 2018. We aim to ensure that we are proactive in addressing issues which the barristers' profession face, and protect the Bar's strengths in the years to come as we all negotiate our way through a period of drastic change.
Some of the funds we need to represent effectively the Bar's interests on issues such as the Government's ambitious court reform agenda, protecting access to justice, as well as our lobbying efforts on a range of other key issues, come from the £100 per year Bar Representation Fee (BRF).
Just one third of funds from your compulsory Practising Certificate Fee (PCF) are used to support the work of the Bar Council. The other two-thirds of your money is spent by the regulators (Bar Standards Board, Legal Services Board and the Legal Ombudsman). Therefore, the BRF is a major source of funding to help us act in your interests and in the interests of justice.
In 2017, we allocated funds to a range of projects, which we set out in the previous Bar Talk. In 2018, we want to follow up on that work and we plan to allocate BRF funds to allow us to continue acting as the leading voice of the profession in England & Wales. This will include:
Lobbying government agencies on court reform, including the flexible operating hours pilots, legal aid and other matters;
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) support for the Bar to ensure all barristers and chambers comply with the new regulation;
Supporting the Young Bar in facing the challenges of the day and develop their practices;
Promoting and maintaining the Direct Access Portal and creating more opportunities for the direct access Bar; and
International business development and research (especially important as talks of Brexit progress).
This essential funding will also help us to support the profession through a range of member services from joint tribunals to the arbitration service, various CPD-focused training and events and a new 2018 Bar Directory.
To meet our plans to cater for the profession in the year ahead and beyond, the BRF funds are therefore vital. We encourage you to contact us should you want to. To find out more, please visit /supporting-the-bar/bar-representation-fee-and-funding/
We aim to make the BRF more valuable to you with other benefits:
Barristers receive a copy of Counsel Magazine (normally £94 per year),
Free listing on the Direct Access Portal - the online, public directory for the direct access Bar
Free Certificates of Good Standing (normally £100 each),
Preferential rates at our training and events, and
Discounts on rates from our business partners.
This costs £8.34 per month by direct debit, or £100 per year.
To find out more about the BRF, our work and how you can get involved, please contact [email protected]
We are always eager to hear from you.