Bar Standards Board hits pause on lawyers seeking to requalify

The Bar Standards Board says it has had to suspend new applications from qualified lawyers who wish to requalify as barristers in England and Wales.

On 30 September, the BSB said it had received a large number of applicants who would never practise in England and Wales.

Up until now, it has been accepting applications from Transferring Qualified Lawyers (TQLs) without a confirmed route into practice in the jurisdiction. A TQL is a lawyer already qualified in England and Wales or another jurisdiction who wishes to transfer to the Bar.

The BSB says it will now temporarily accept only applications with evidence of a pupillage offer or an offer of tenancy or employment requiring a Bar practising certificate.

It says the pause is in reaction to large numbers of TQLs applying for exemptions from standard bar training, particularly from overseas jurisdictions. It argues that a very small number of those given exemptions ever go on to practise. It seeks to change its approach to the TQLs process, to focus it on “those who have a realistic prospect of practising in England and Wales”.

The new criteria will not apply to lawyers who have qualified in Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein. Those applications will continue to be accepted and processed.