More flexible and innovative ways to qualify as a barrister could be enabled by the introduction of a professional statement defining what a newly-qualified barrister should be able to do from "day one", the Bar Standards Board has said.

Crime barristers will take action on their own against unreasonable hours and overnight working if the judiciary fails to heed their concerns, the chair of the Criminal Bar Association has warned.

After five months of strikes, criminal barristers in England and Wales voted to end strike action on Monday 10 October, accepting a government pay rise of 15% on legal aid fees.

The body representing barristers has urged the next government to reverse funding cuts which have left the justice system “on its knees”, in a manifesto highlighting hundreds of court closures and the growing number of people having to represent themselves in court despite having no legal training.

Members of the Criminal Bar Association are due to vote on whether to replace the current fortnightly strikes with uninterrupted ones as of 5 September.  

Barristers will stage a full day of strike action on 7 March in protest at the government’s proposed cuts to legal aid.

The Criminal Bar Association has raised the threat of industrial action as the dispute over legal aid funding continues. 

Judges, QCs, junior barristers and solicitor advocates have come out in support of an anti-bullying campaign initiated by five barristers.

The vast majority of barristers are opposed to withdrawing the United Kingdom from the European Convention on Human Rights in favour of creating a separate UK bill of rights, a survey commissioned by the Times has found.

Some barristers are earning less than the minimum wage following decades of underfunding and the Treasury has been warned that the justice system is at a “tipping point”.

The legal profession is facing a new challenge as leading barristers defy Bar rules by pledging not to prosecute peaceful climate protesters or represent companies involved in fossil fuel projects.  

Crime barristers have threatened to walk out and leave the criminal courts in chaos in protest at a new legal aid payments scheme, with many barristers feeling overwhelmed and at “breaking point”.

From 5 January 2015, the Bar Standards Board will now accept applications from practitioners wishing to set up new business models, become a partnership or set up an LLP.

The Criminal Bar Association has struck a highly controversial deal with the government to suspend the planned legal aid cuts to Graduated Fee cases until after next year's general election.

In an unprecedented day of action, hundreds of barristers and solicitors have marched on Westminster today, railing against Chris Grayling's recent confirmation that £215 million will be shaved from the criminal legal aid bill.

An interim deal has been agreed between the Ministry of Justice and barristers over a fee dispute, which had disrupted complex fraud trials.

Both barristers and solicitor advocates are qualified legal professionals who represent their clients during court proceedings, but their roles are somewhat different. Read on to find out some of the differences between the two.

Becoming a barrister is expensive. Aspiring barristers should investigate funding options for each stage of the process.

Here's our suggested timetable for recruitment to the Bar.