Give training responsibility back to chambers, says BSB

The BSB must give back the power of designing pupillage to chambers and employers and instead direct its focus on setting the standards to be achieved, the regulator has announced.

In a pamphlet published today, the BSB says it is keen to shift responsibility for the way in which pupillages should be structured away from the regulator and back to pupillage training organisations (PTOs), which it says have a better understanding of what works and what does not. Currently, the BSB must approve any pupillages that deviate from the standard format.

Director of education and training for the BSB, Dr Simon Thornton Wood, said that by clearly defining the end point of qualification, routes to qualification would become more flexible, more innovative, and more creative.

Thornton also said that the increasing costs in training and education were a serious concern, and that the BSB did not want the expense of high-quality training to deter those who have the aptitude and determination to become successful barristers.

The pamphlet also suggests that the regulator wants to make it easier for PTOs that are unable to provide certain aspects of pupillage to offer pupils alternative arrangements, such as secondments.

Further, the BSB is eager to explore how pupils - most of whom are self-employed - can be protected in the same way as employees or other trainees.

In addition, the pamphlet outlines in greater detail the regulator's vision for reforming legal education and training as part of its Future Bar Training programme. The key idea is to establish a professional statement that clearly sets out what a barrister needs to be able to do at the point of being authorised to practise.

The programme echoes the SRA's competence statement, which qualified solicitors will be able to opt in to from April, and the regulator's period of recognised training, which trainee solicitors can complete instead of a formal training contract.

The BSB hopes that by providing a clear point of reference for the capabilities a barrister needs to be able to demonstrate before authorisation, and ensuring there are the right safeguards in place to guarantee quality, more flexibility will be allowed in terms of how the Bar course and pupillage are delivered.

Laura Clenshaw is managing editor of Solicitors Journal

editorial@solicitorsjournal.co.uk | @L_Clenshaw