17 Sep 2021

The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has appointed 13 new members to its Independent Decision-making Body (IDB).

The IDB makes certain decisions on how the BSB should proceed if a barrister appears to have broken the rules in the BSB Handbook. It also hears appeals against the regulator’s authorisation decisions. The IDB is made up of 32 decision makers, 13 of whom are barristers and 19 of whom are members of the public who are not solicitors or barristers.

Decisions about individual cases are made by small panels of three or five decision makers. This ensures that decisions can be made efficiently and swiftly. Panels always include both barrister and lay members and always include more lay members than barristers.

The new appointees to the Independent Decision-making Body are as follows:

Lay Members:

Vice Chair – Rohan Sivanandan

Jacqui Adams

Polly Clarke

Kevin Gould

Lesley Horton

Mark Stobbs

Karen Townsend

Judith Worthington

Barrister Members:

Alice Dobbie

Emma Louise Fenelon

Claire Lindley

Sheleen McCormack

Martin Sleight

ENDS

 

Notes to editors

More about the Independent Decision-making Body

The Independent Decision-making Body takes independent decisions on relevant regulatory issues including enforcement of the professional obligations of those regulated by the BSB, and the authorisation of certain types of individuals and entities to provide legal services. 

The IDB is made up of a pool of barristers and lay members. It takes decisions on individual cases with panels of three members being used for authorisations decisions and panels of five for enforcement and disciplinary decisions.

Most of the decisions the IDB take are in relation to whether disciplinary action should be pursued where potential breaches of the professional obligations, as set out in the BSB Handbook, are serious and may amount to professional misconduct. The IDB is also responsible for, amongst other things, taking decisions in relation to appeals against executive decisions not to grant waivers from the Handbook requirements or decisions not to authorise or license a body to provide legal services.

 

About the Bar Standards Board

Our mission is to regulate barristers and specialised legal services businesses in England and Wales in the public interest. For more information about what we do visit: http://bit.ly/1gwui8t

 

Contact: For all media enquiries call: 0207 611 4691 or email [email protected].

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