Employed barristers* will now be allowed to carry out pro bono work as the Bar Council’s call for professional indemnity insurance (PII) extension to cover the employed Bar has been approved by Bar Mutual.
Under the rule change, approved at the Bar Mutual Annual General Meeting, employed barristers will now be covered by PII to carry out pro bono work via the Bar Pro Bono Unit or the Free Representation Unit. Previously, employed barristers were prevented from taking up pro bono work because of the short fall in their insurance.
Earlier this year, Chair of the Bar, Andrew Langdon QC, called for employed barristers to get the PII extension.
He said of the decision to go ahead with the proposals: “The fact is many barristers, employed or self-employed, want to do pro bono work of some kind. They should not be prevented from doing so by their insurance policies.
“By making this small change, Bar Mutual have not only freed up many barristers who were previously restricted from committing to providing free legal services via the Bar Pro Bono Unit and FRU, it has also given those people, often in dire straits, who cannot afford a lawyer a potentially wider pool of barristers who may be able to help them. Following a successful National Pro Bono Week, it is a timely boost for the pro bono legal community and I hope the employed Bar will embrace it wholeheartedly.”
Lucinda Orr, Chair of the Employed Barristers' Committee said: “Pro bono has a vital role to play in assisting members of the public who cannot afford or access the legal advice they often desperately need - the employed bar has many talented lawyers whose skills can now be deployed to help such people, and I am thrilled that the employed bar will now be able to contribute in this critical area.”
If you are an employed barrister who would like to find out more about how you can undertake pro bono work via Bar Pro Bono Unit: enquiries@barprobono.org.uk or FRU www.thefru.org.uk/volunteers/the-route-to-ratification.
*Employed barristers in ‘recognised bodies’ are already able to volunteer through the Bar Pro Bono Unit.
(Source: The Bar Council)
