Barristers will soon be required to report all complaints to the BSB. Here’s what chambers needs to have in place.
Following its first-tier complaints consultation, the BSB has confirmed new rules requiring barristers and chambers to report all client complaints directly to the regulator. The first data submissions are expected from autumn 2026 at the earliest. Chambers will need documented complaints procedures, internal monitoring processes, and clear reporting frameworks in place before the rules land on 15th June 2026.
The BSB has responded to its chambers regulation consultation. The question of responsibility is still open.
The BSB has published its response to the chambers regulation consultation, confirming it will consolidate all practice management rules in one place and drop proposals for a kitemark scheme. But the Bar Council has raised unresolved concerns: the proposals still don’t make clear whether individual members or heads of chambers bear responsibility for non-compliance. Two further proposals - a requirement to publish governance arrangements and a new register of chambers - are now out for further consultation.
The BSB is changing how misconduct cases are handled. Here’s what’s changing and when.
Following its enforcement consultation, the BSB has confirmed that all tribunal outcomes, including acquittals, will now be published, and that barristers charged with misconduct will be named earlier in proceedings. Anonymity for witnesses in sexual allegation cases becomes automatic. New enforcement regulations are due for a second consultation this spring, with implementation planned for early 2027.
