Authorised individual

BSB authorised individuals and authorised (non-BSB) individuals

BSB Entity Register

We must keep a public register showing important details about all current and past BSB regulated entities.  If an entity’s authorisation is suspended or made subject to any conditions, this must also be shown on the register.  The register is published on our website and updated every week.

Entity

An "entity" is a legal person, most typically a partnership or company. 

Traditionally barristers have worked as sole practitioners operating out of a chambers. The Legal Services Act 2007 ("LSA") states that, in order for reserved legal activities to be delivered through an entity, both the entity and the individuals providing services must be authorised by an approved regulator. The list of approved regulators is set out in Schedule 4 Part 1 of the LSA.

Before April 2015, barristers had to go to an approved regulator other than the BSB to set up an entity. In April 2015, with the approval of the Legal Services Board, we began to authorise entities to provide legal services.

More details can be found in our Entity Regulation Policy Statement.

HOFA

An individual who has been designated as a Head of Finance and Administration by a BSB Authorised Body (as required by section E1 of Part 3 of the Handbook) and approved by us in accordance with section E of Part 3. 

NB: This definition is not the same as the equivalent term in the Legal Services Act 2007.

HOLP

An individual who has been designated as a Head of Legal Practice by a BSB Authorised Body (as required by section E1 of Part 3 of the Handbook) and approved by us in accordance with section E of Part 3. 

NB: This definition is not the same as the equivalent term in the Legal Services Act 2007

Legal Services

Legal services include legal advice representation and drafting or settling any statement of case witness statement affidavit or other legal document but does not include:

a)    sitting as a judge or arbitrator or acting as a mediator;

b)    lecturing in or teaching law or writing or editing law books, articles, or reports;

c)    examining newspapers, periodicals, books, scripts, and other publications for libel, breach of copyright, contempt of court, and the like;

d)    communicating to, or in, the press or other media;

e)    giving advice on legal matters free to a friend or relative, or acting as unpaid or honorary legal adviser to any charitable benevolent or philanthropic institution;

f)     in relation to a barrister who is a non-executive director of a company or a trustee or governor of a charitable benevolent or philanthropic institution or a trustee of any private trust, giving to the other directors, trustees or governors the benefit of his learning and experience on matters of general legal principle applicable to the affairs of the company institution or trust;

g)    early neutral evaluation, expert determination and adjudications.

Manager

has the same meaning as set out in s. 207 LSA namely:

a)    a member of an LLP;

b)    a director of a company;

c)    a partner in a partnership; or

d)    in relation to any other body, a member of its governing body.

Non-authorised individual

any individual who is not a BSB authorised individual or an authorised (non-BSB) individual.

Owner

a)    in relation to a BSB entity that is a company or an LLP (or an applicant to become such a body), any person who holds a material interest in that company or LLP;

b)    in relation to a BSB entity that is a partnership (or an applicant to become such a body), any partner of that partnership who holds a material interest in that partnership.

Reserved legal activities

a)    the exercise of a right of audience;

b)    the conduct of litigation;

c)    reserved instrument activities;

d)    probate activities;

e)    notarial activities; and

f)     the administration of oaths.
Last updated 16 Aug 2023