We commissioned a survey of the general public in March 2025 to improve our understanding of public awareness and confidence in the Bar and its regulation by the Bar Standards Board. This is the second time we have run this survey, with the previous survey in March 2024. The BSB intends to carry out this survey annually to enable us to monitor trends over time.
The report finds:
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98% of those surveyed had heard of barristers.
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87% claim to know something about them.
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75% say they don’t know anyone who works or has worked as a barrister or in the legal profession.
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87% think barristers are regulated and only 5% think they are not.
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46% of respondents said they had not heard of the Bar Standards Board compared to 50% in 2024.
When it came to knowledge of what the Bar Standards Board does:
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58% of respondents would expect us to investigate reports about the conduct of barristers compared to 52% in 2024, followed by 55% who expected us to regulate the training of barristers compared to 50% in 2024.
The survey also confirmed that public confidence in the profession was high, with most respondents saying they had confidence in each of the four areas covered in the survey:
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Acting in their clients’ interests (79%)
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Providing a competent standard of service to their clients (80%)
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Acting with integrity (77%), and
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Treating everyone fairly without discrimination (71%)
Mark Neale, Director General, The Bar Standards Board said:
“The Bar Standards Board welcomes the findings of this report, which confirms that public confidence in the Bar remains high. We wish to develop an improved understanding of public awareness of, and confidence in, the profession, as well as understanding and awareness of barristers’ regulatory status and the role of the BSB. This will help to inform our work around our regulatory objectives, particularly around protecting and promoting the public interest, and improving public understanding of their legal rights and duties.”
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