Our Strategy

We published our 2007 – 2009 Strategic Plan in November 2006. The Plan sets out our mission and the values underpinning what constitutes good professional practice. It identifies the key challenges facing the Board over the next three years together with the strategic objectives required to address these challenges.

Click here to download the Board’s 2007 – 2009 Strategic Plan.

Our Mission
Our mission is to be recognised as promoting and safeguarding the highest standards of legal education and practice in the interests of clients, the public and the profession.

Our Principles
In carrying out our activities, we will:

Work in the public interest
We will place the public interest at the heart of our work. This will be central to all our decisions.

Be independent and evidence-based
We will undertake research and consult relevant stakeholders to ensure that our decisions are reached on the basis of the best available evidence.

Be transparent in our procedures
Our decisions will be transparent and reasoned, and our processes open to scrutiny.

Be accountable for our performance and expenditure
We will account for and publish our progress against our work plan and measure success against the goals we set and work in a way which is cost-effective.

Consult and work in partnership with others
We will consult interested and relevant parties before adopting any policy, and will work with other stakeholders in the justice system to advance the public interest.

Operate risk-based regulation
We will concentrate on those areas where the public is most at risk and will not impose regulations which are disproportionate to the risk.

Encourage diversity
We will promote diversity and equality both throughout the Bar and within the organisation. We will adopt processes and procedures that are fair, objective, transparent and free FROM discrimination.

Value our staff
We will ensure that our staff receive appropriate training, are encouraged in their career development and are valued for the contribution that they bring to our work.

Our Strategic Objectives

Our objectives build on our core regulatory activities - education and training requirements, CPD, standard setting, quality assurance and complaint handling - and ensure that we carry out these and our other duties as a modern regulator. with each objective we set out what the Board intends to achieve over the next three years.

Protecting Consumers

To establish systems to identify areas of risk to consumers; to take action to remedy poor performance by barristers (or members of the profession); where things go wrong, to provide an efficient and fair complaints and disciplinary system.

We will:

• carry out research to identify where risk of detriment to the consumer or market failure may arise;

• devise and implement proposals for monitoring and reducing areas of risk, recognizing that different practices within the Bar carry different levels of risk;

• utilise our Consumer Panel as a source of expert advice on the needs of users of barristers’ services;

• review our complaints system to ensure that it is fair to complainants and barristers, provides swift redress, appropriate sanctions and holds the confidence of all stakeholders.

Access to Justice

To promote accessible and flexible high quality legal services in a competitive market.

We will:

• carry out research into the attitudes about the perceptions of clients and barristers about the way in which barristers’ services are provided, recognising that different clients have different needs;

• review the Code of Conduct to ensure that the rules of conduct are up to date and fit for purpose;

• examine the provisions in the Legal Services Bill concerning Alternative Business Structures to identify necessary changes to the regulatory system.

Independent Regulation

To be recognised as a respected, independent regulator operating according to best regulatory principles with the confidence of the Legal Services Board, consumers, the Bar and other stakeholders.

We will:

• work with the Bar Council and the Inns of Court to ensure that our constitutional arrangements and resources provide properly for our independence and effectiveness;

• adopt the principles of better regulation in our work to ensure that regulation is proportionate, accountable, consistent, transparent and targeted;

• establish a Performance and Best Value Committee to measure the success of our work;

• develop a Communications Strategy to ensure that consumers, the Bar and other stakeholders are aware of our existence and work.

Excellence and Quality

To promote excellence and quality within the profession and ensure that those who qualify as barristers have the right level of skills and knowledge to provide services to the public, including employers.

We will:

• carry out research into the effectiveness of the existing education and training requirements and will consult about the level of training needed for practice as a barrister;

• review the Bar Vocational Course and the Training Regulations to ensure that entrants to the profession have the right level of training to offer services to the public and employers;

• ensure that the requirements for continuing professional development keep barristers up to date with developments in the law and fit to practise;

• develop mechanisms for ensuring that the quality of service offered by barristers meets our standards and, where they do not, provide structures for addressing poor performance.

Diversity
To promote diversity in the profession so that those with the right abilities are able to make a career as a barrister irrespective of their background, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age.

We will:

• develop a strategy to ensure that consumers have access to a Bar reflecting our diverse and multi-cultural community;

• establish a programme to capture information about the profile of the Bar in respect of background, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability and age;

• promote recruitment and career development procedures which will guarantee that barristers’ professional careers develop on merit and without discrimination.