Legal Affairs

Barrister profession seen as ‘out of touch’ with general public, report says

Large solicitor firms ‘encroaching’ on areas of traditional expertise, according to a strategic review conducted by EY for the Bar Council

A new report has outlined a number of threats facing the barrister profession. Picture: Getty

The barrister profession is seen as being out of touch with the general public and faces threats from large solicitor firms “encroaching” on areas of tradition expertise, a report has found.

A strategic review, conducted by EY for the Bar Council, also recommended that the Bar Council should adopt a system which allowed barristers to form “meitheal”, or teams similar to the Chambers system used by the profession in England. This was rejected by the ...