The Bar - Public Awareness and Confidence - (2024)
In March 2024, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) commissioned Ipsos, a leading independent market research agency, to conduct a survey of a representative sample of British adults aged 16-75, along with a booster sample of 200 responses specifically for Wales. The aim of this survey was to improve our understanding of public awareness and confidence in the Bar and its regulation by the BSB and to seek to measure the effectiveness of our efforts to communicate and engage with the public. A total of 2047 responses to the survey were received.
Transparency Rules Evaluation – Impact on Consumers (2022)
In July 2022 we published a Report to explore the impact on legal consumers of the transparency rules that were first introduced in 2019, by looking at a number of key indicators relating to the objectives of the rules.
Consumers’ expectations and experience of working with barristers (2021)
In August 2021, we published research on consumers’ expectations and experience of working with barristers. As an evidence-based regulator acting to protect and promote the interests of consumers, this researched helped us to gain an up-to-date understanding of what consumers expect from barristers and the findings informed our work in many areas.
Consumer Behaviour and Attitudes towards Price and Service Transparency (2018)
Published in September 2018. Research commissioned by the BSB to explore how consumers make decisions when searching for barristers, and to test how consumers respond to different methods of presenting price and service information. The research was carried out by YouGov and London Economics and involved online focus groups with 22 members of the public who had used a barrister in the last two years, and an online behavioural experiment with a nationally representative sample of 1,316 participants.
Family Law Clients Research report (2017)
In July 2017 the BSB published the findings of its research with people who have used barristers' services during family legal proceedings. The findings show that most of those who took part in the research were positive about the service they received from their barrister.
Provision of legal services by barristers (2017)
Published in May 2017. The report contains the results of an online survey conducted in September and October 2016 with barristers about the future delivery of legal services. The survey found that while there are examples of "new and innovative" business models in the market, the prevailing business model for barristers is a traditional chambers.
Web sweep: transparency of online price information (2017)
A May 2017 report based on the findings of a web-sweep exercise which assessed how many websites of barristers' chambers published information about their prices. The findings inform a wider programme of work on price transparency in response to the recommendations of the Competition and Market Authority market study of legal services (2016).
Research into Client Care Letters (2016)
Published in November 2016. Research commissioned jointly by legal regulators and the Legal Services Consumer Panel (LSCP) shows that Client Care Letters are often not as effective as they should be in making sure that clients understand the work that is being carried out on their behalf, or in outlining what is required of them. The report identifies principles to help legal services providers better communicate with their clients. The research involved qualitative methods with recent and prospective users of legal services, including a series of mini-groups, face-to-face depth interviews and a workshop.
