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Heidi Stonecliffe KC, Chair of the Employed Barristers’ Committee for 2024, reflects on her year at the helm and progress made in implementing the Life at the Employed Bar Report 2023 recommendations
While the employed Bar makes up around a fifth of the profession in England and Wales, our influence and the importance of our work is seen across the legal sector. The Bar Council’s Employed Bar Awards, celebrated in October, were a testament to this and showcased some truly excellent barristers with a diverse range of practice areas, career paths and life experiences. The quality of the work and the variety of roles at the employed Bar never fails to impress me. Whether working for a multinational business, solicitors’ firm or an NGO, employed barristers do high profile, impactful and rewarding legal work.
There is still work to do, but progress has been made on pupillages and judicial appointments, demonstrating that it is now more possible than ever to both begin and progress your career at the employed Bar. The employed Bar is also more diverse than the rest of the profession with women making up around half of all employed barristers. However, much like the whole Bar, more work needs to be done when it comes to race, disabilities and socio-economic status.
As barristers, we are united in our desire to be part of a robust profession that attracts the best talent to improve access to justice and strengthen the rule of law – and I am confident that the employed Bar is at the forefront of this pursuit.
It’s also important to reflect on how we have progressed the recommendations from our Life at the Employed Bar Report 2023 which have driven the work of the Employed Barristers’ Committee (EBC).
The employed Bar’s response rate remained low in the Barristers’ Working Lives 2023 survey. However, we have managed to engage with the employed Bar in other ways. Barbara Mills KC and I spent an informative and insightful afternoon at the Government Legal Department in Leeds earlier this year. We spoke with pupil barristers about their experiences early on in their career and noted how there are important lessons to take from the many employed barristers on Circuit and those at the very start of their career. We want to do much more to show what opportunities there are for aspiring members of the profession at the employed Bar and outside London. Bar Council also attended the Government Legal Department’s conference where we asked attendees which of our report’s recommendations were most important to them, with career progression coming out on top. Although these events were an excellent forum to listen and engage, I would like to make a plea to all employed practitioners reading: make your voice heard in our Barristers’ Working Lives survey in 2025.
I am delighted that the employed Bar now has a dedicated section on Counsel magazine’s website which has launched with a brilliant array of stories from employed barristers from a variety of practice areas and levels of seniority. There are now more opportunities than ever to showcase the fantastic work that goes on at the employed Bar at all stages. Please don’t hesitate to contact Counsel should you be interested in contributing to the magazine or the Bar Council if you are interested in contributing to the Bar Council website.
Our recent panel event – aimed at students and those in the early stages of their careers – was put on to showcase a talented, diverse group of employed barristers and to give them an opportunity to promote careers at the employed Bar. Over on the Bar Council’s website, we have launched a series of employed pupillage blogs. These have been written by pupils from organisations such as the Crown Prosecution Service and Nursing and Midwifery Council through to Citibank where they set out what a ‘day in the life’ of an employed pupil is like.
In February, together with the King’s Counsel Appointments, we hosted a session on applying for silk at the employed Bar, which included addressing some common misconceptions for employed barristers who are considering applying for silk.
We know that 44% of all barristers responding to the Bar Council Barristers’ Working Lives 2023 survey had experienced or witnessed bullying, harassment or discrimination. Tackling this critical issue is one of the recommendations to come out of our Life at the Employed Bar report, and it’s paramount that the employed Bar had a strong and independent voice in the independent review of bullying and harassment currently being conducted by the Rt Hon Harriet Harman KC. As well as giving evidence myself, the EBC has encouraged as many employed barristers as possible to do the same.
Along with increased membership of the EBC, we would like to see greater representation across Circuits and the Inns. We continue to work closely with BACFI to champion and support employed barristers so you can take up these kinds of roles. I have also met with and fostered positive and encouraging relationships with the Circuit Leaders who continue to champion the employed Bar. I would encourage all members of the profession to join their local Circuits, to learn from those in other areas of practice and to contribute to the breadth of knowledge and talent already on offer. Likewise, please also consider joining your respective specialist Bar associations. They are a wonderful way to engage with and nurture relationships with other members of the profession who work within your fields of practice.
While progress has been made on judicial appointments, we would still like to see a greater representation of the employed Bar in the judiciary. Lady Rose summed it up perfectly during her speech at the Employed Bar Awards when she said the forward thinking and creative mindset we develop because of our practice transfers well to a judicial career.
The Employed Bar Awards is our marquee event, and this year was once again a fantastic opportunity to showcase the talents of our nominees and winners. Our platforms on Counsel magazine, the Bar Council website and the work of the committee will help us continue this endeavour.
On top of the recommendations, it’s vital that we continue to support the One Bar philosophy. The Bar is well served when moving between the self-employed and employed Bar is made as seamless as possible. Both branches of the Bar can offer different qualities, challenges and experiences to barristers at different points in your career and we should encourage barristers to consider whether a move in either direction can make their practice more sustainable.
It has been a privilege to chair the EBC over the course of this last year. I have had the opportunity to meet many of you and see what extraordinary talent there is at the employed Bar. I have seen the brilliant work done by so many of you and by the Bar Council in protecting this important profession. My own career at the employed Bar started at around the time that the EBC was formed and I have seen, over that time, the incredible leaps and bounds that we have made in terms of visibility, progression and opportunity. I am positive and hopeful as to what the next 25 years will bring and I know that my successor, Sara George and her successor, Simon Regis CBE will be instrumental in that continued progress and change. I wish them both well and look forward to the next chapter of the employed Bar.
Heidi Stonecliffe KC is thought to be only the fourth lawyer – and the first woman – at the Crown Prosecution Service to be made silk. She joined the CPS in 2006 and prosecutes cases involving allegations of homicide, gang violence, firearms and drug conspiracies, often multi-defendant and lengthy trials. She is Chair of the Bar Council’s Employed Barristers’ Committee for 2024 and a Bencher at Inner Temple.
While the employed Bar makes up around a fifth of the profession in England and Wales, our influence and the importance of our work is seen across the legal sector. The Bar Council’s Employed Bar Awards, celebrated in October, were a testament to this and showcased some truly excellent barristers with a diverse range of practice areas, career paths and life experiences. The quality of the work and the variety of roles at the employed Bar never fails to impress me. Whether working for a multinational business, solicitors’ firm or an NGO, employed barristers do high profile, impactful and rewarding legal work.
There is still work to do, but progress has been made on pupillages and judicial appointments, demonstrating that it is now more possible than ever to both begin and progress your career at the employed Bar. The employed Bar is also more diverse than the rest of the profession with women making up around half of all employed barristers. However, much like the whole Bar, more work needs to be done when it comes to race, disabilities and socio-economic status.
As barristers, we are united in our desire to be part of a robust profession that attracts the best talent to improve access to justice and strengthen the rule of law – and I am confident that the employed Bar is at the forefront of this pursuit.
It’s also important to reflect on how we have progressed the recommendations from our Life at the Employed Bar Report 2023 which have driven the work of the Employed Barristers’ Committee (EBC).
The employed Bar’s response rate remained low in the Barristers’ Working Lives 2023 survey. However, we have managed to engage with the employed Bar in other ways. Barbara Mills KC and I spent an informative and insightful afternoon at the Government Legal Department in Leeds earlier this year. We spoke with pupil barristers about their experiences early on in their career and noted how there are important lessons to take from the many employed barristers on Circuit and those at the very start of their career. We want to do much more to show what opportunities there are for aspiring members of the profession at the employed Bar and outside London. Bar Council also attended the Government Legal Department’s conference where we asked attendees which of our report’s recommendations were most important to them, with career progression coming out on top. Although these events were an excellent forum to listen and engage, I would like to make a plea to all employed practitioners reading: make your voice heard in our Barristers’ Working Lives survey in 2025.
I am delighted that the employed Bar now has a dedicated section on Counsel magazine’s website which has launched with a brilliant array of stories from employed barristers from a variety of practice areas and levels of seniority. There are now more opportunities than ever to showcase the fantastic work that goes on at the employed Bar at all stages. Please don’t hesitate to contact Counsel should you be interested in contributing to the magazine or the Bar Council if you are interested in contributing to the Bar Council website.
Our recent panel event – aimed at students and those in the early stages of their careers – was put on to showcase a talented, diverse group of employed barristers and to give them an opportunity to promote careers at the employed Bar. Over on the Bar Council’s website, we have launched a series of employed pupillage blogs. These have been written by pupils from organisations such as the Crown Prosecution Service and Nursing and Midwifery Council through to Citibank where they set out what a ‘day in the life’ of an employed pupil is like.
In February, together with the King’s Counsel Appointments, we hosted a session on applying for silk at the employed Bar, which included addressing some common misconceptions for employed barristers who are considering applying for silk.
We know that 44% of all barristers responding to the Bar Council Barristers’ Working Lives 2023 survey had experienced or witnessed bullying, harassment or discrimination. Tackling this critical issue is one of the recommendations to come out of our Life at the Employed Bar report, and it’s paramount that the employed Bar had a strong and independent voice in the independent review of bullying and harassment currently being conducted by the Rt Hon Harriet Harman KC. As well as giving evidence myself, the EBC has encouraged as many employed barristers as possible to do the same.
Along with increased membership of the EBC, we would like to see greater representation across Circuits and the Inns. We continue to work closely with BACFI to champion and support employed barristers so you can take up these kinds of roles. I have also met with and fostered positive and encouraging relationships with the Circuit Leaders who continue to champion the employed Bar. I would encourage all members of the profession to join their local Circuits, to learn from those in other areas of practice and to contribute to the breadth of knowledge and talent already on offer. Likewise, please also consider joining your respective specialist Bar associations. They are a wonderful way to engage with and nurture relationships with other members of the profession who work within your fields of practice.
While progress has been made on judicial appointments, we would still like to see a greater representation of the employed Bar in the judiciary. Lady Rose summed it up perfectly during her speech at the Employed Bar Awards when she said the forward thinking and creative mindset we develop because of our practice transfers well to a judicial career.
The Employed Bar Awards is our marquee event, and this year was once again a fantastic opportunity to showcase the talents of our nominees and winners. Our platforms on Counsel magazine, the Bar Council website and the work of the committee will help us continue this endeavour.
On top of the recommendations, it’s vital that we continue to support the One Bar philosophy. The Bar is well served when moving between the self-employed and employed Bar is made as seamless as possible. Both branches of the Bar can offer different qualities, challenges and experiences to barristers at different points in your career and we should encourage barristers to consider whether a move in either direction can make their practice more sustainable.
It has been a privilege to chair the EBC over the course of this last year. I have had the opportunity to meet many of you and see what extraordinary talent there is at the employed Bar. I have seen the brilliant work done by so many of you and by the Bar Council in protecting this important profession. My own career at the employed Bar started at around the time that the EBC was formed and I have seen, over that time, the incredible leaps and bounds that we have made in terms of visibility, progression and opportunity. I am positive and hopeful as to what the next 25 years will bring and I know that my successor, Sara George and her successor, Simon Regis CBE will be instrumental in that continued progress and change. I wish them both well and look forward to the next chapter of the employed Bar.
Heidi Stonecliffe KC, Chair of the Employed Barristers’ Committee for 2024, reflects on her year at the helm and progress made in implementing the Life at the Employed Bar Report 2023 recommendations
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