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The Bar Standards Board will shortly launch the 2012 Chambers Monitoring scheme.
This follows the success of the 2010 round of monitoring, which provided the BSB with crucial information on the levels of compliance with administrative and other code requirements, as well as identifying rules which chambers were finding more difficult to implement.
Chambers Monitoring is an important part of the BSB's supervision strategy. The BSB intends to develop its supervision strategy around this model but with a greater focus on regulatory risk. A consultation with proposals on this will be published on the BSB's website in the autumn.
On 11th June 2012, all Chambers, including sole practitioners, will be sent a questionnaire. This questionnaire will cover compliance with two areas: chambers complaints handling requirements and the Money Laundering Regulations 2007.
There will also be a section on future compliance issues. This section contains questions that will not affect how chambers are risk rated. At this stage, these questions are for data gathering purposes only although they may inform future compliance requirements.
The questionnaire aims to establish whether and how chambers are complying with their regulatory and legal requirements. Once the questionnaire is completed online, it is sent to the BSB for analysis and it is then that chambers are given a risk rating. A risk rating determines the level of follow up action that is required and the level of regulatory supervision needed.
The BSB will aim to notify all Chambers within one month of the submission of the questionnaire of the outcome and whether any follow up action is required. Where non-compliance is identified, the BSB will contact Chambers to discuss how it can be addressed.
The initial focus will be on assisting chambers to identify and address areas of non-compliance. However, the BSB will consider using enforcement action for chambers that refuse or fail to address identified regulatory concerns.
Please refer to our frequently asked questions for further details about the scheme or email us with your query
Guidance will be uploaded to this page once the questionnaire has been launched in June.
Milestone
Date
Questionnaire sent out
11 June
Deadline for questionnaire return
29 June
Chambers Monitoring 2012 closes
31 August
