//Education and Training

BACFI supports the efforts being made by the Bar Standards Board and the Bar Council to increase training opportunities for the Bar. It is currently engaged in discussions with the Bar Standards Board on the rules relating to Employed Pupillages which still remain difficult to arrange.

The serious mismatch between numbers of BVC graduates and pupillage opportunities is of great concern for the future of the Bar and BACFI will press for solutions to this issue. Following the Tuckey and Richards reports on non- practising barristers (BACFI was represented on both working groups), BACFI hopes to work with the Bar Standards Board to look at opportunities for more flexible training regimes to give more barristers the chance to obtain a practising certificate. 

BACFI has members on the Training for the Bar Committee of the Bar Council and on several other groups looking at training issues.

BACFI membership is open to students for the Bar. Members are available to give careers guidance .  In addition members of the Committee give regular talks on practice at the employed bar to students at the Inns of Court and the BVC training establishments.

All employed barristers with practising certificates need to complete CPD training each year. The rules on which courses qualify for CPD are complicated and can be found in the Bar Standards Board “Fools Guide to CPD”(see Continuing Professional Development section at www.barstandardsboard.org.uk). BACFI is engaged in discussions with the Bar Standards Board to authorise courses which are more relevant to an employed barrister’s practice.

BACFI evening seminars are designed to cover subjects which are of interest to members and all carry at least one hour of CPD points . The Events Committee welcomes suggestions from members for subjects for future events. Please contact events@bacfi.org.

BACFI also welcomes the opportunity to circulate details of members’ in-house training to other BACFI members in the same sector. Please contact the BACFI office if you are interested. Contact Us