Transparency

Question 1

You must comply with transparency rules by ensuring

Answer 1

required information is readily available in alternative format – this must be provided on request.

Individual self-employed barristers in chambers are required to take reasonable steps to ensure chamber’s compliance with transparency rules.

Question 2

All websites must:

Answer 2

• State that professional, licensed access, and/or lay clients (as appropriate) may contact the barrister, chambers or BSB entity to obtain a quotation for legal services;
• Provide contact details;
• State the barrister, chambers or BSB entity’s most commonly used pricing models for legal services, such as fixed fee or hourly rate;
• State the areas of practice in which the barrister, chambers or BSB entity most commonly provides legal services;
• State and provide a description of the barrister’s, chambers’ or BSB entity’s most commonly provided legal services;
• Provide information about the factors which might influence the timescales of the barrister’s, chambers’ or BSB entity’s most commonly provided legal services;
• Display the appropriate “regulated by the Bar Standards Board” text on the homepage;
• Display information about their complaints procedure, any right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman (LeO), how to complain to LeO, and any time limits for making a complaint;
• Link to the decision data on LeO’s website; and

Link to the Barristers’ Register page on the BSB’s website.

This info must be sufficiently accessible and prominent on websites, accurate and up to date and readily available in alternative format.

Question 3

All professional e-mails and letterheads MUST also display

Answer 3

appropriated “regulated by BSB” text.

Question 4

Quotations must be provided if

Answer 4

sufficient information has been provided by the client and the barrister would be willing to provide the legal services. Clerks can provide quotes on behalf of barristers. Reasonable period to provide quote = normally 14 days. You should not charge for providing quotes, and you can state you would need to read futher papes to quote more precisely.

Question 5

Websites must display the following text on the homepage:

Answer 5

• For sole practitioners, “regulated by the Bar Standards Board”
• For chambers, “barristers regulated by the Bar Standards Board”
• For BSB entities, “authorised and regulated by the Bar Standards Board”

This text must be displayed on the homepage of your website as a minimum. However, it is best practice to display this text on all pages of your website.

Question 6

If Public Access services listed in the BSB’s price transparency policy statement are being provided, websites must:

Answer 6

• State which pricing model(s) are used, such as fixed fee or hourly rate;
• State indicative fees and the circumstances in which they may vary;
• State whether fees include VAT (where applicable);
• State likely additional costs, what they cover, and either the cost or, if this can only be estimated, the typical range of costs; and
• State and provide a description of the relevant Public Access services, including a concise statement of the key stages and an indicative timescale for the key stages.

The required information must be sufficiently accessible and prominent on websites, accurate and up to date, and readily available in alternative format.

Question 7

Applying for a practising certificate.

What happens if you fail to renew?

Answer 7

you will no longer be on the Barristers’ Register and will not be authorised to practise.

It is a criminal offence to carry on any reserved legal activities without a practising certificate.

Question 8

Why do you need a practicing certificate?

Answer 8

You will need a practising certificate if you wish to hold yourself out as a barrister in connection with the supply of legal services or to undertake any reserved legal activities.

The fee differs as to how much one earns.

Question 9

How do you get a practising certificate?

After submitting:

Answer 9

1. a certificate of completion or exemption from the non-practising period and
2. registering a practising period, you will be issued with a provisional practising certificate. This will be valid for the duration of your practising period.

Once you have completed your pupillage and confirmed this to us, you will be sent details about how to change your status to a practising or unregistered barrister, as appropriate.