BarCo and BSB publish Barometer report on pupillage stats

For the very first time, the Bar Council and Bar Standards Board have published the Bar Barometer, an annual report on statistical trends within the Bar.

The report is intended to be an invaluable source of information for anyone with an interest in the Bar, including students. Chairman of the Bar, Michael Todd QC, said: "In terms of composition of and retention at the Bar, having ready access to statistics will help us easily to monitor changes as they happen or, even more importantly, where they are not happening quickly enough. This will help us to make better investment decisions and to marshal our resources to safeguard the future of the Bar."

Each edition will have a different focus, with this year's looking particularly at pupillage stats from 2006-2011. Among other things, the report includes data on age, disability, gender and ethnicity. Baroness Ruth Deech, chair of the Bar Standards Board, said: "We are pleased to see that the report demonstrates a positive representation of women, BME and disabled barristers at entry level and hope that the introduction of our new Equality and Diversity Rules later this year will ensure that these figures are reflected at senior levels of the profession in the near future."

A couple of the more alarming figures for those hoping to become barristers have been highlighted by RollOnFriday. First, with 446 first six pupillages available in 2010-11, there were just over 1,600 students enrolled on the BPTC in the same period. Add to that figure the several thousand BPTC/BVC graduates from previous years who have yet to secure pupillage, and it's clear that the stakes are high.

Furthermore, there were more applicants for the BPTC than ever before - 3,100 people applied for a place in the 2010-11 academic year (although nearly 1,500 of those didn't get a place), further adding to the intense competition.

The full report can be read here.