employment 4 students - The UK's most visited student jobsite

Menu

Too many aspiring barristers

30 May 2007

Too many aspiring barristers There is an ongoing debate about the number of students aspiring to become barristers.

The Bar Council recently produced a paper, focused on entry to the profession, which expressed the view that "over-supply of students is itself a cause of concern".

The organisation had also previously suggested that the number of students gaining places on the Barristers' Vocational Training Course (BVC), the compulsory one-year training programme for barristers, should be limited.

The Bar Council said that allowing more students onto the programme than there were pupilages available was unfair on them and a waste of resources.

However, in a report published this week, the Bar Standards Board (BSB), the regulatory arm of the bar council, criticised these proposals and said it "does not see how limiting numbers on the BVC would bring any quality or diversity benefits".

The BSB also rejected plans to increase the minimum academic entry requirement for the course to a 2:1.

According to a recent survey by Legal Week, the majority of partners in law firms appear to be in favour of this tightening up of entry requirements.

To become a barrister, law students have to go through an incredibly competitive and potentially drawn-out process.

Because there are greater numbers of students on the BVC than there are pupilages available, every year many students completing the course still find themselves without a job as a barrister.

Find your perfect job now!

Register now to let employers find you and be notified about the latest relevant jobs