The new Bar training rules require that those who commenced training for the Bar from 2020 take a Bar Standards Board (BSB) exam in Professional Ethics if, after their vocational training, they then go on to pupillage.
As previously announced, the exam to be taken during pupillage will normally take place in January (with further sittings available in April and July), but in 2022 we have decided that the first of these exams will take place in April (with further sittings in July and October).
This will allow any registered pupils who wish to do so to take advantage of study materials which the Inns of Court College of Advocacy intend to make available in February 2022 via their Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), at no cost to pupils. The use of these materials will not be mandatory - and they have been prepared independently of the BSB - but we recognise that pupils may wish to take advantage of their availability (or any support which may be offered by other organisations) before sitting their exam.
Further information about the new Professional Ethics exam is available on our website.
The final changes arising from our review of the curriculum for the pupillage component of Bar training and how it is assessed relate to the current advocacy course and the introduction of a new negotiation skills course. The BSB will provide outcomes for these courses, which must be met in order for pupils to complete the non-practising period of pupillage. Work in these areas was put on hold due to the impact of the pandemic. We expect that the new courses will therefore be introduced for pupils commencing on or after 1 September 2023. Meanwhile, pupils should continue to attend the advocacy training currently provided.
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About the Bar Standards Board
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