As the barristers' professional body, we aim to create the conditions for a stronger rule of law and widespread access to justice in England and Wales. We believe that through advocacy on behalf of the Bar, we can address the most pressing legal challenges of our time. Just as you advocate passionately on behalf your clients, the Bar Council advocates on your behalf to ensure the resilience and influence the future of our profession.
The Bar Representation Fee (BRF) is essential to the continuation of our efforts as your representative body. The fee is collected on a voluntary basis - only those who wish to support us financially pay the £100 per year charge; this can be paid at any time, and a convenient direct debit is available to those who want to spread the cost. While the BRF has been at this price for a decade, the Bar Council has responded to the challenges to the profession by growing its activities significantly to ensure that we represent, promote and support barristers at all stages of their career.
In 2017, the BRF has paid for the creation of resources for our wellbeing work, the evidence-gathering activities of the Working Lives survey and analysis, various online projects including the new Wellbeing website and the new Ethics hub, services including joint tribunals, the direct access portal, the Bar Complaints Advisory Service, the arbitration and mediation service, in addition to subsidised training and events including the Opening of the Legal Year, the Annual Bar & Young Bar Conference, amongst many others. For their BRF fee, barristers receive a copy of Counsel Magazine (normally £94 per year), free access to the direct access portal and services paid for by the BRF (such as the joint tribunals service), a number of preferential rates at our training and events and discounts on rates from our business partners.
For us to continue to articulate the needs of the Bar by responding to consultations, proactively lobbying government and policy-makers, and leading the debate about the rule of law and access to justice in the press and amongst the public, the funds provided by the BRF are vital. Not only do they help us understand how engaged the Bar is with the Bar Council's work, but they also provide the critical funds for areas where the PCF's "permitted purposes" are not appropriate. To represent the Bar actively, we need your engagement and we need to hear your voice as we look ahead to the future of the Bar. Engaging with us throughout all our activities, and supporting us through the BRF, you can ensure that we act on your behalf with the full knowledge of your challenges, that we focus on the right opportunities, and that we continue to establish the relevance of the Bar for decades to come.
To find out more about the BRF, our work and how you can get involved, please contact [email protected]. In the meantime, we wish you a very prosperous new year.