Barristers are renewing their efforts to capture the territory that has traditionally been the preserve of solicitors. To this end two initiatives have been launched.

The public access scheme was first established in 2004 and allows a barrister to be instructed directly by a lay client without the need for a solicitor. In order to take on public access work a barrister must have more than three years’ practising experience, must be properly trained and must have Read the full story

Despite reservations expressed by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), the Bar Standards Board (BSB) is currently piloting an aptitude test that assesses analytical and critical reasoning, and fluency in the English language. Reasons given by the BSB for introducing the test included the belief that the standard of admission to such an expensive course is too low, particularly regarding Read the full story