Bar Council welcomes BSB’s decisions on new practice structures

31 December 2009

Categories: News

THE Bar Council has welcomed the decisions taken by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) which will permit members of the Bar to supply legal services within new business structures. The BSB has approved the creation of Legal Disciplinary Practices (LDPs) and Barrister only Partnerships (BoPs). Any wider decision to permit barristers to work in Alternative Business Structures (ABSs) will be deferred until the effects of the transitional LDP regime can be assessed and following further consultation in 2010. The BSB’s decisions follow more than two years of careful deliberation by the Board and its Alternative Business Structures Working Group.

Commenting on the decision, Nicholas Green QC, Chairman for 2010 said:

“The Bar Council very much welcomes these changes. The BSB’s decisions represent an historic moment for the Bar. The BSB has spent an enormous amount of time considering possible changes in the structure of legal practice in order to address liberalisation of the legal services market. The care with which they have investigated the issues reflects the importance of the BSB’s decisions.

The Bar Council is committed to the provision of the highest quality legal services to the public. We hope that by permitting changes to the ways in which barristers can practise, we shall build on our tradition of excellence while allowing more flexibility for practitioners. We believe the BSB’s decisions will be particularly welcomed by the publicly-funded Bar.”