In this section, you can learn more about how we make a wide range of decisions in relation to our regulation of the Bar.

By clicking the links below, you can find information about how we make the following types of regulatory decision:

Enforcement decisions

Read all about how our Investigations and Enforcement Team deal with potential professional misconduct by barristers and those whom we regulate. Visit our page about enforcement decisions.

Decisions about barristers’ fitness to practise

Sometimes we have to make decisions about whether a barrister or other person we regulate is well enough to offer their services. Learn more about this here.

Authorisation decisions

These decisions include authorising barristers to undertake Public Access work and to conduct litigation, legal services’ business to become BSB-entities, and Bar training providers to become Authorised Education and Training Organisations. We also consider whether individuals can be exempted from parts of the training requirements to become barristers. Read about authorisation decisions.

Policy decisions

Read more about how we decide whether to change our rules for barristers, and if we do, the consultative process we use whenever we change the rules or introduce new ones. Visit our page about policy decisions.

Our regulatory decision-making policies

To learn more about how we make decisions, you can download our policy documents from our regulatory decision-making policies page. 

More about our decision-making

We are committed to ensuring all regulatory and management decisions are made to consistently high quality standards. All Board decisions taken in the public session are recorded and published on our Board meetings page. Sometimes, we have to take decisions in private sessions of our board meetings, however, subject areas discussed in these sessions are also recorded in the public minutes.
 

The Board maintains an effective delegation system to ensure its resources are used efficiently.

Delegation of the Board’s powers

Some of the Board's functions are delegated to committees within their terms of reference set out in the Governance Manual.

Others powers are delegated directly to staff as set out in the Scheme of Delegations.

Fairness and transparency

All Board and committee members are committed to upholding the Seven Principles of Public Life , as recommended by the Committee on Standards in Public Life and abide by a Code of Conduct.

Information about Board expenses and remuneration is published annually within the Annual Report, which can be found in the publications section.

Last updated 17 May 2024