Bar Complaints Advisory Scheme
Bar Complaints Advisory Scheme
The Bar Complaints Advisory Scheme (BCAS) enables barristers who are the subject of disciplinary or complaints proceedings to obtain advice and assistance from fellow members of the Bar.
BCAS is intended as a support scheme for the Bar and is essentially a list of voluntary barristers maintained by the Bar Council’s Services Team and distributed to individuals seeking advice or assistance in relation to a disciplinary or complaints matter upon request.
In order to be included in the list, volunteers must hold a current practising certificate and be prepared to provide initial advice on a pro bono basis. It is generally expected that barristers who are on the list are prepared to continue to act on a pro bono basis thereafter. However, not all of them will necessarily do so and any applicable charges will be set out in the list that the Services Team provides to you.
A copy of the BCAS list of voluntary barristers can be obtained by contacting the Bar Council Services Team at [email protected] or by calling +44 (0)207 611 1321.
Terms of service
The Bar Council uses BCAS to offer those in need of assistance with a list of volunteer members of the Bar willing to provide such help. There is no recruitment process associated with BCAS and the presence of an individual on the list does not therefore imply endorsement of them from the Bar Council, nor is the advice given subject to quality assurance by the Bar Council or its staff or Officers.
The role of the Services Team is simply an administrative one and, as such, the Bar Council will not be able to provide any individual seeking to use BCAS with legal advice or guidance relating to the relevant disciplinary or complaints proceedings, or any other matter.
If you request a copy of the list from the Services Team then your data will be collected and processed in accordance with our Privacy Statement and relevant Data Protection Legislation, including the Data Protection Act 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/679) (the GDPR) and any national implementing laws, regulations and secondary legislation, for so long as the GDPR is effective in the UK.
Volunteer for BCAS
If you are a barrister with a current practising certificate and are prepared to provide initial advice to member of the Bar who are the subject of disciplinary or complaints proceedings on a pro bono basis, then please complete copy of the BCAS volunteer form and return it to the Bar Council Services Team at [email protected].
Contact us
We carefully monitor the feedback that receive from the Bar about BCAS. If you have any concerns relating to the administration of the Scheme, or you would like to find out more, please email the Bar Council Services Team on [email protected] or call +44 (0)207 611 1321.