Why should you care about this if it doesn’t directly impact you?
Well, is this the standard you expect and are willing to accept from the regulator of barristers in England and Wales?
Or has the bar been lowered?
High standards or double?
Justice or justish?
Why wouldn’t you be concerned by this, coming from a regulator at the heart of the justice system?
Here’s what needs to happen and what you can do to ensure it does.
Action the BSB should take:
PUBLISH & RETRACT THE BAN
Publish the ban on five-year rule extensions and retract it, ceasing its operation immediately.
ENABLE EXTENSION APPLICATIONS
Immediately enable five-year rule extension applications, publishing all the information prospective applicants need to know to make informed, meaningful representations, including regarding appeals.
WAIVE QUALIFYING SESSIONS REQUIREMENT
Automatically waive the requirement to make up expired Qualifying Sessions for all September 2020 cohort students granted extension. Alternatively, automatically permit their completion post-call.
EXPLAIN BPTC STUDENT PREVALENCE & ENSURING THEY DO NOT REMAIN IN THE SYSTEM
Given extensions are at the Bar Standards Board’s discretion, explain the concern about the number of students still on the BPTC, the encouragement of AETOs to be proactive in ensuring they do not remain in the system, implying that this may be achieved through procedural changes.
OUTLINE ACTION FOR DISABLED STUDENTS
Outline what action will be taken to address the underrepresentation and lower likelihood of completion of disabled students on the vocational component.
CORRECT THE LATEST BAR REPORT & PUBLISH THE DATA
Correct the December 2025 Bar training report which states no student has reached the end of the five-year period yet.
Publish the October 2025 data for the September 2020 cohort including disability and expiry statistics.
PROVIDE FULL TRANSPARENCY
Provide full transparency regarding vocational Bar training completion time limits and their extension.
EXPLAIN THE DELAY
Explain the delay in enabling five-year rule extension applications.
EXPLAIN THE NON-DISCLOSURE
Explain why the ban has not been published, and the BSB’s refusal to consent to AETOs disclosing information about the five-year rule in response to FOI requests.
“Change is not self-executing.”
Christine Dorchak
Action you can take:
SIGN
Sign the petition demanding action from the BSB.
SEND
Send an email to the BSB demanding action. You can edit this email template (add your name to the end before sending) addressed to the Chair and Director General of the BSB.
SHARE
Share this website.
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