Barristers are well abreast of their ethical responsibilities and there is no need to adjust regulation, the Bar Council has said following a survey which attracted responses from 27% of its membership.
According to the representative body's Barristers’ Working Lives survey 2025, eight out of 10 respondents reported 'very good understanding' of the profession’s code of conduct and ethical obligations.
One in three barristers said they had undertaken training/CPD on ethics in the past year; a similar proportion said they had done so within the past five years.
Pressure from clients to act unethically emerged as the most significant challenge to behaviour, with 51% of respondents saying this had caused issues. Maintaining independence was the next biggest challenge, reported by 31% of respondents.
The response rate for the survey was 27% of the practising bar.
Bar chair Kirsty Brimelow KC said: 'Barristers take their ethical obligations very seriously and the range of support on offer ensures that the ethics culture at the Bar remains strong.
'We have found no evidence to indicate the need to make substantial changes to the ethical regulation of the bar, but we do want to see the BSB Handbook updated to make it clearer and easier to use.'
Brimelow noted that the Legal Services Board has highlighted concerns about the misuse of non-disclosure agreements and strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs). 'Our survey shows that only a very small number of barristers believe these issues represent key ethical challenges,' she said. 'We have long said that the most effective solution to tackle SLAPPS is legislation and not more regulation of the bar.'
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