A virtual life in the context of The Bar

Key points

• The Bar Council has highlighted that 72% of barristers in England and Wales have experienced a significant reduction in new fee income.
• Around 18% of surveyed barristers want to leave the profession and the number of pupils has dropped.
• The move to remote working has led to a significant decrease in costs.
• Clients are questioning why these changes have not been implemented before to reduce their costs.
• It will be important to remember the effect of the move to virtual chambers in maintaining social interactions and on pupils and juniors.
• The flexibility of remote working contributes to staff satisfaction.

The years 2020 and 2021 will be seen by historians as a relatively short but intense period of disruption and seismic change but also a time of new beginnings. Nationally we were hit by the Covid-19 pandemic with its lockdowns and necessary changes to the way in...