Bid to boost legal access

The proposed reforms will be outlined this week

Barristers could soon break with a 100-year-old tradition to become directly accessible to the public and even provide a 24-hour call out service.

Radical reforms by the Bar Council aim to cut time-consuming paperwork and payment involved in first hiring a solicitor and then a barrister.

Instead, members of the public could use just one legal representative in specific circumstances, but solicitors would still be needed to prepare court cases.

The paper also includes suggestions for barristers to be able to take direct instructions more extensively in civil and commercial work

Bar Council spokesman

A consultation paper suggests that barristers could set up an on-call service for people arrested by the police, equivalent to the solicitors' own 24-hour duty scheme.

Cases which might be affected include bail applications, criminal appeals and guilty pleas concluded in magistrates' court where imprisonment is not a legal option.

The reforms are aimed at keeping the Bar competitive and would end the 100-year ban on direct access between the public and advocates.

The proposals have been in the pipeline for more than a year and are to be floated in a consultation document this week.

Supporters believe the reforms would benefit the public, for example those in need of legal advice in police stations, but also useful experience for recently trained barristers.

Legal competition

A Bar Council spokesman said: "The types of opportunities that are being put forward in the paper are ones which would bring considerable benefit to younger barristers and enable them to have a solid base of practice in their early years.

Bar Council seeking changes to remain competitive

"The paper also includes suggestions for barristers to be able to take direct instructions more extensively in civil and commercial work."

He added: "Barristers can already do quite a lot of work directly with the public and this is about increased competition in the market for legal services."