The Legal Services Board (LSB), the oversight regulator of legal services in England and Wales, welcomes today’s report into bullying and harassment at the Bar. We acknowledge the serious issues it highlights, including concerns about how the Bar Standards Board (BSB) sets and enforces standards for professional conduct.
Bullying, harassment and misconduct are problems across the legal sector, as we highlighted in our contribution to the review. As such, this report has lessons for everyone.
Richard Orpin, Interim Chief Executive of the LSB, said:
“The independent review of bullying and harassment at the Bar reveals behaviour that is unacceptable and has no place in the legal profession.
“We recognise the courage it takes for people to speak out about these experiences. All legal professionals should be able to work with dignity and respect. Regulators and sector leaders must act quickly and decisively to improve standards, address misconduct, and foster a safe culture across the profession.”
We are already taking action, including:
- introducing new requirements for regulators to make sure that legal professionals understand and uphold their ethical duties
- consulting this autumn on how regulators can encourage diversity in the profession and create inclusive workplaces
- monitoring the BSB against agreed undertakings designed to deliver improvements in its performance, including making its enforcement process fairer, faster and more efficient.