535 ↗️ 614
The number of barristers undertaking pupillage has risen again for the third year in a row, a report by the bar regulator has found.
The 2024 Regulatory Decision-Making Annual Report, published by the Bar Standards Board (BSB), notes that 614 pupil barristers began their pupillages in 2023-24, a significant increase on the 535 the previous year, 539 in 2021-22, and 416 in 2020-21.
The regulator also saw a 25% increase in applications for authorisation to practice, with over 40% of these coming from qualified lawyers seeking to transfer to the bar.
Additionally, the BSB reports a decrease in social media-related issues, with the number of reports falling from 115 last year (involving 53 barristers) to 88 this year (involving 35 barristers). The regulator notes, however, that “any regular user of X (formerly Twitter) will confirm that this remains a highly controversial area”.
There has also been a fall in the number of reports relating to sexual harassment and misconduct, down to seven cases in 2023-24 from the 16 in 2022-23.
Despite these decreases, the regulator received a similar number of overall reports this year (1,724) compared to last year (1,731). Family law generated the highest number of reports, followed by criminal law. The regulator also noted an increasing number of these reports are coming from litigants in person.
Of all the cases that made their way through to a disciplinary tribunal, 33 of the 39 were found proved.