The Young Barristers’ Committee
The Young Barristers’ Committee (YBC) is part of the Bar Council of England & Wales, representing barristers in all areas of practice who are in their first seven years at the Bar. Its main terms of reference are to advise the representative committees of the Bar Council on all matters of concern to young barristers; to liaise with the BSB on such matters as necessary; and to take such steps as seem likely to promote the interests of the Young Bar, having regard to the interests of the Bar as a whole. In fact, the YBC was established in 1954, and although it started as an “experiment for a period of one year in the first instance”, it continues to flourish as one of the Bar Council’s principal representative committees. The breadth of the work that it covers is surpassed only by the Bar Council itself, and it counts among its former chairs the current Master of the Rolls, Sir Terence Etherton, Lord Justice McCombe, Mr Justice Lavender, and the Recorder of London, HHJ Hilliard QC. What do we do? The aim of the YBC is to represent the Young Bar and ensure its voice is heard, and to ensure that adequate support and provision is made for young barristers. We do this through making representations both internally in the Bar Council, and externally, to: government, the judiciary, the Bar Standards Board (BSB), the Inns of Court and others involved in training and regulating barristers, and those with whom barristers may interact in their working lives. This work includes responding to consultation papers that are issued by various organisations, attending meetings and providing the invaluable perspective of the Young Bar, and putting on or assisting with events which often feature young barristers. Some of our members are elected, while others are co-opted to ensure that our membership is diverse and includes
representatives from each of the circuits and from all areas of practice.
Young Bar Hub and social media The main source of information for young barristers, provided by the YBC, is the Young Bar Hub at www.youngbarhub.com. The site contains the Young Bar Toolkit: an online information resource with advice and guidance on practice management, finances and wellbeing. There is information for self- employed and employed barristers, and pupils. The site also features the Young Bar Blog, which includes a ‘day in the life’ series, with snapshots of the experiences and ‘typical days’ of members or former members of the committee. There are also articles and information about forthcoming events and activities that the YBC is hosting or supporting. We have a dedicated Twitter account (@YoungBarristers) to ensure that up-to- date information on training, events and other issues of interest to young barristers is available and easily accessible. Court reform and technology The YBC has been heavily involved in the Bar Council’s work on court reform for several years. This includes the ‘online court’ proposed in Lord Justice Briggs’ Review of the Civil Courts and Lord Justice Jackson’s proposals for fixed recoverable costs in certain civil claims. The YBC has contributed to Bar Council responses to the relevant consultations and attended meetings at the Ministry of Justice and with the senior judiciary in order to ensure that the Young Bar’s perspective is taken into account. We have made clear the potential issues concerning access to justice, open justice and the right to a fair trial arising out of such proposals, as well as highlighting the potential adverse effects on young barristers.
In connection with the above, this year has also seen a renewed focus on both the
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