Following a meeting with the BSB this afternoon, PIBA has been asked to share the following message from the BSB:

This year’s Authorisation to Practise (AtP) process contained a new question, asking about barristers’ involvement in claims management activity.

 Following feedback from the Bar Council, the Personal Injuries Bar Association (PIBA) and a number of individual barristers, we recognise that the question’s framing and supporting guidance created confusion as to how respondents should answer.

We would like to apologise for any confusion.

We are aware that individual barristers have taken different views on how to answer the question, and so the data will not provide the level or quality of intelligence we hoped to gather.

On that basis we will not be using the data from this question and will delete it once the AtP process is completed, at the end of April. This question will not appear on next year’s AtP.

If you have already answered the question, the data will simply be ignored.  There is no need to contact BSB records or seek to change any answer given thus far.  If you have not yet completed your ATP, answer the question “no”.

They will be sharing this updated guidance more widely on their website and messaging.  PIBA has also informed the Bar Council and the PNBA.  Please feel free to share this message far and wide.