The bar regulator has set up a cross-sector taskforce to develop new advocacy standards for barristers involved in rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO) cases amid concern about courtroom conduct and wellbeing.
Announcing an ‘expert reference group’ today, the Bar Standards Board said RASSO cases often involve complex evidence, challenging legal and ethical judgements, and issues that require careful, trauma-informed advocacy. ‘Where advocacy standards are inconsistent or fall short, the consequences can be serious. These can include re-traumatisation, loss of confidence in the justice process, and unsafe outcomes,’ the regulator said.
The expert reference group includes the Bar Council, Rape Crisis, Ministry of Justice RASSO Unit, Crown Prosecution Service, Centre for Women’s Justice and End Violence Against Women Coalition. The Criminal Bar Association, which created a training programme for RASSO counsel in 2023, is also a member.
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Professor Katrin Hohl, an independent adviser to the government and co-chair of the group, said: ‘Rape and serious sexual offences cases demand specialist knowledge, skills, and attitudes from the legal profession. This is especially so because counsel conduct towards RASSO complainants in the courtroom can have profound impacts on their experience of procedural fairness and mental health. There is also growing evidence that a lack of trauma-informed RASSO practice puts barristers’ own mental well-being at risk.
‘I welcome the Bar Standards Board's decision to develop a specialist RASSO competencies framework that sets RASSO-specific competencies and standards. I am delighted to be co-chairing the advisory board and hope this work will improve courtroom experiences for complainants and counsel alike.’
CBA surveys over the past two years have revealed a mass exodus of RASSO lawyers, with respondents citing 'emotional exhaustion' for quitting.
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