Technology and innovation impact barristers’ practice and the services they provide to clients.
We welcome innovation at the Bar to improve client outcomes and provide safe, effective services.
We have a dedicated programme of work to help us understand and support the use of technology and innovation by those we regulate.
Contact us at [email protected] to learn more about the services we provide.
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Our work on technology at the Bar
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Resources for barristers & tech providers
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Contact the Innovation Team
Used safely and effectively, technology can enhance access, quality, and client experience of barristers’ services and create new ways for barristers and specialised legal services providers to serve their clients.
Our work supports innovation at the Bar to ensure it improves outcomes for clients and advances the public interest.
Our technology and innovation programme helps us ensure the opportunities presented by technology and innovation support our regulatory objectives.
We carry out a range of dedicated projects. These include:
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Innovation Trials and Regulatory Pathfinding Service for Innovators – contact the Innovation team with your regulatory queries, innovation trial proposals, and pathfinding requests. More details below.
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Artificial Intelligence – guidance on AI use and Continuing Professional Development resources for barristers.
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Intermediaries at the Bar – guidance on third party introducers, intermediaries, and other services that facilitate barrister instructions.
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Unbundling – Hybrid services where parts of a matter are carried out by the client, a third party, or a technology service alongside a barrister.
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Bar Standards Board – Bar Council Joint Working Group on technology and innovation.
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Digital Skills & Continuing Professional Development for barristers and chambers.
We have a range of policy statements and guidance available to help barristers use technology safely, confidently and in compliance with BSB regulations. Technology providers may also find these resources useful to understand barristers’ responsibilities and design their services accordingly.
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Relevant areas of BSB Guidance
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Transparency Rules (at bottom of page)
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Our approach to technology & innovation is informed by the Legal Services Board guidance on promoting technology & innovation to improve access to legal services, in addition to our own regulatory objectives.
We regularly publish evidence on technology and innovation at the Bar. This evidence helps shape our regulatory activity and may be useful to barristers and technology providers to understand the market for technology at the Bar.
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Digital Comparison Tools market study
Our Innovation Trials programme enables innovators to engage with us over an extended period to test and understand the regulatory impacts of your technology or service innovation.
Innovators can apply to run an Innovation Trial. In an Innovation Trial, we will observe your innovation over an extended period to help you understand the regulatory impacts of your technology, demonstrate how it functions at the Bar, and identify ways to help you mitigate regulatory risks.
We welcome applications from barristers, chambers, and BSB entities. We also welcome applications from technology providers that offer technologies to legal professionals or that seek to engage barristers as legal service providers on their platform. You do not have to currently work with the Bar, but you should at least have a plan to enter the Bar market in the near future.
Please note we may publish the findings from your Innovation Trial as a case study to support wider innovation at the Bar, though we can anonymise your case at your request.
Please contact our Innovation team to discuss further or to apply at [email protected].
We are especially happy to engage proactively with technology providers and barristers to hear your ideas for innovation and respond to regulatory queries you may have.
We welcome proposals for Innovation Trials, where we can engage with you over an extended period to help you test and understand the regulatory impacts of your technology.
However, we are unable to provide compliance or strategic advice about your product.
Here is some guidance on what we can and can’t do:
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Respond to your queries to clarify our rules and guidance.
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Engage proactively to learn more about your product and share information about tech at the Bar from our research.
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Signpost our rules for you, and point you in the direction of the most relevant rules based on our experience.
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Hear your experiences about technology at the Bar and thoughts on how we can support innovation at the Bar.
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Provide strategic advice on how to enter the Bar market or endorse your product. Our engagement with you is not an indicator of compliance with BSB regulations.
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Guarantee the information we provide or promise not to take future regulatory action in response to a breach of our rules. We provide all information on a best effort basis.
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Provide privileged resources or information solely to you. We may use or publish your comments or queries anonymously as part of our general efforts to support innovation at the Bar.
Contact the Innovation team
We strongly support innovation at the Bar to improve client outcomes and access to safe, effective barrister services.
We are happy to engage with technology providers, barristers, their clients, and members of the public to discuss your ideas and experiences of technology at the Bar.
You can reach us at: [email protected]
