'Moment of reckoning' | Damning review reveals widespread bullying & harassment among legal professionals

Bullying, harassment and discrimination remain widespread across the Bar, with almost half of barristers surveyed reporting they had either experienced or witnessed inappropriate behaviour in the last two years, a major review has found.

The report, led by Baroness Harman KC, warned that “evolutionary, incremental change won’t cut it” and called for a tougher regulatory approach to stamp out misconduct in an “ancient institution” long resistant to reform.

Widespread misconduct revealed

The review, commissioned by the Bar Council, revealed that 44% of respondents had experienced or observed bullying, harassment or discrimination while working either in person or online over the past two years. This represents a marked rise from 38% in 2021 and 31% in 2017.

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Survey data showed that women, junior barristers, and those from ethnic minority backgrounds were more likely to report incidents, while those responsible were more often judges or senior barristers.