Direct access barristers will make up nearly half the entire bar by the end of next year, it was revealed last week in the Bar Standard Board and Bar Council’s second survey of its members, Barristers’ Working Lives. This means clients can consult them directly, without having to go through a solicitor. The survey revealed falling earnings from publicly funded work, with 67% of criminal barristers reporting their earnings had fallen between 2011 and 2013. The report covers employment status, practice area, working hours, earnings, career aspirations, and views about the profession.
25 June 2014
Barristers’ lives
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly
Gateley Legal expands Midlands residential development team
Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees
Gibson Dunn adds employee benefits and executive compensation practice in London with partner Richard Surtees
Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron
Laytons ETL appoints new partner and head of intellectual property disputes
NEWS
A series of recent decisions has clarified important principles across property law, from perpetuities to lease renewals and public rights over land
Employers cannot rely on wellbeing services alone to defend workplace stress claims after a High Court decision awarding almost £1m to an overworked employee
Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE
The constitutional fallout from a change of prime minister, rather than the politics, is under scrutiny as questions arise over the limits of executive authority in a leadership transition
The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
