Appointment to the Bar Standards Board

November 27, 2007

Matthew Nicklin to join the Barristers' regulator from January 2008

Matthew Nicklin has been appointed to the Bar Standards Board, the independent body of the Bar Council responsible for regulating barristers.

 

The Bar Standards Board (“BSB”) was established by the Bar Council in January 2006 to regulate barristers called to the Bar in England and Wales in the public interest. It took over the regulatory functions of the Bar Council and is responsible for:

 

 

  • setting the education and training requirements for becoming a barrister;
  • setting continuing training requirements to ensure that barristers’ skills are maintained throughout their careers;
  • setting standards of conduct for barristers;
  • monitoring the service provided by barristers to assure quality; and
  • handling complaints against barristers and taking disciplinary or other action where appropriate.

 

The BSB carries out its work through five regulatory committees each of which reports to the main Board:

 

 

  • Complaints: Responsible for investigating complaints and taking action against barristers who have breached the Code of Conduct or provided poor service;
  • Qualifications: Responsible for looking at individual applications from people wishing to become barristers but who may be exempted from the normal training requirements;
  • Quality Assurance: Responsible for monitoring standards and encouraging professional excellence at the Bar;
  • Standards: Responsible for the Code of Conduct which all barristers must comply with and issuing guidance on good practice; and
  • Education and Training: Responsible for setting the standards of education and training that people must pass before being able to practise as barristers, together with the further training requirements that barristers must comply with throughout their careers.

 

Matthew Nicklin will join 7 other practising barristers and 7 lay members on the main board of the BSB chaired by Ruth Evans. He will also be a member of the BSB’s Qualifications Committee. Matthew was previously a member of the Bar Council representing Lincoln’s Inn and will remain a full-time member of 5RB.

 

The Legal Services Act 2007, which received Royal assent on 30 October 2007, creates a new regulatory regime for the legal profession.

 

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