Committees

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee consists of the Chair, Vice Chair, Common Law Secretary, Chancery Secretary, Education Secretary, Criminal Secretary and Treasurer, Vice-Treasurer and then further people who represent a balance of different ages and positions within the Clerks’ room, different types of chambers regarding areas of work and representation from all areas of the country.

Management Committee

Members of the Management Committee are elected annually at the Annual General Meeting by the membership. They meet once a month to discuss all problems and ideas that have been presented to them.

The committee consists of an Executive Committee consisting of the Chair, Vice Chair, Common Law Secretary, Chancery Secretary, Education Secretary and Treasurer and then further people who represent a balance of different ages and positions within the clerks room, different types of chambers regarding areas of work and representation from all areas of the country.

Education Committee

The IBC’s Education Committee is dedicated to providing a full and eclectic seminar programme; an annual conference, tackling the most current issues; and part-time courses.

The IBC offer two courses.

The Introduction to Business Management Course and the Advanced Business Management Course. Full details can be found on our dedicated website Welcome to IBC Education – IBC Education (ibc-education.co.uk)

We work closely alongside the Career Development Committee (Tom Kelly, Chair of the CDC sits on the Education Committee) to ensure that the IBC continues to deliver the right training and education for its members.

The IBC aims to bring education to the Clerks’ room on all levels and in many different formats, making it available and accessible to all members. The Education Committee welcomes regular feedback and suggestions and hopes you will make contact.

Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing Committee

The IBC is committed to promoting Equality and Diversity amongst both its membership and throughout the clerking profession generally. That commitment extends beyond the role of those employed as clerks to all staff employed in Chambers.

In the coming years the IBC aims to promote Equality and Diversity to its membership and further afield to ensure our members awareness and understanding of its application for Chambers’ business.

The IBC is fully supportive of parallel initiatives run by and supported by the Bar Council and Bar Standards Board.

Barristers, clerks and chambers staff are exposed to emotionally and psychologically challenging environments on a daily basis. Wellbeing at the Bar aim to tackle the stigma associated with mental health and encourage members of the profession, and those who support us, to better understand wellbeing and feel empowered to make healthy choices. A link to their website can be found here.

For further information or if you have issues in relation to equality and diversity then please e-mail Lucy Burrows lburrows@3vb.com

Criminal Committee

The Criminal Committee is one of the specialist areas of work sub-committees that have been formed by the IBC to specifically represent criminal clerks and ensure that the IBC has a voice.

The criminal committee is in regular contact with the LAA, HMCTS, MoJ, Bar Council and CBA, discussing issues that affect criminal clerks specifically and our ability to deliver a professional service.

We are happy to receive any comments/issues criminal clerks may have and raise them with the appropriate agencies.

Family Committee

The Family Committee looks to provide support and guidance to members on all issues relating to family law. This is predominantly around fees and specifically legal aid, and the committee works with the Legal Aid Agency, the Family Law Bar Association, and the Bar Council to provide practical training and guidance. The FLBA set up a mailing list for clerks and fees clerks to ask questions about issues with legal aid issues relating to family law including FAS and High Cost regulations. The Chair of the Family Committee attends Bar Council Remuneration Committee meetings.

A practical guide to managing high cost family cases, for Barristers and Clerks

Chambers and Social Committee

The committee organises the IBC Annual dinner and other ad hoc social events, as required.

Etiquette & Discipline Committee

The Etiquette and Discipline Committee deals with all matters relating to the maintenance of etiquette and high standards of professional conduct by members of the IBC.

It considers fairly and promptly matters relevant to the professional behaviour of its clerk members and where a complaint may be justified refers it with recommendations to the executive committee.

Where appropriate, the committee may comment upon any question of conduct raised of the Bar generally and participate in joint actions alongside the Bar Council.

Please refer to the management committee pages for details of how to contact the committee, and be assured that all matters are dealt with complete confidence.

Fees & Remuneration Committee

This Fees & Remuneration Committee deals with all matters relating to the level of fees, the collection of fees, tax and all other matters relating to remuneration.  It participates with the General Council of the Bar in joint actions to protect and develop the interests of the Bar and all its members. The members of the committee are also members of the Bar Council Remuneration Committee and attend those meetings to provide assistance and guidance relating to barristers’ fees.

Individual members of both the Fees & Remuneration and the Management Committee work tirelessly to defend the Bar against the seemingly ever-shrinking pocket of publicly funded work. They have long succeeded in safe guarding the Bar from the imbalance that is ever threatened. 

The Committee provides guidance to the members of the IBC by providing updates on any key changes or issues which affect clerks and barristers.

General Purposes Committee

The general purposes committee exists to deal with ad hoc, one off projects.

Social Media & IT Committee

The IT committee intends to provide advice and guidance to members of the IBC with regard to the use of technology and IT.

IT can be a powerful tool for members of the IBC to carry out their roles more efficiently, but also provides a risk around cyber security and GDPR. The IT committee will aim to keep on top of the very latest technology and regulatory guidance to ensure that the IBC and their members remain up to date.

The IBC invite feedback and questions from the membership on IT related matters, and will seek to provide guidance and support to individuals wherever possible.

Career Development Committee

The Career Development Committee focuses and aims to assist the development of Junior Clerks, at the start of their career.

The committee organises various educational and social events throughout the year, encouraging further learning outside of the Clerks room, and to also help Junior Clerks develop their own network of colleagues from across all different Chambers.

The Career Development Committee is also an open space to discuss life as a Clerk and we encourage Clerks to be able to come to the Committee with anything that they would like to discuss, or with any ideas that they may have.

The Committee is looking forward to the upcoming annual social event, and welcomes all clerks to attend.

Legal Services Committee

The committee and its members main roles are to keep under review the development of the work of the Bar in England and Wales.  The Committee also considers matters that will affect the administration of justice and rights of audience for people other than barristers.  We aim to maintain relations and make representations to the government, and those with an interest in the administration of justice at the Bar.

We also work closely with the BMIF, and support the strategic aims of the Bar Council.  I have attended six meetings in total over the last year and it has given me a greater insight into what is happening in all practice areas at the Bar.

International Business Development Committee

The International Committee is a Bar Council committee, whereby the Institute of Barristers Clerks has a representative from the management committee.  The committee comes together to deal/promote the following:

·         To promote the standing and the interests of the Bar internationally;

·         To support the rule of law internationally;

·         To keep abreast of international developments;

·         To inform and educate the Bar about international developments and opportunities;

·         To further the objectives above by cooperation between the Bar and legal professions abroad and by participation in the work of international legal associations and professional bodies;

·         To influence international legal developments;

·         To support the strategic aims of the Bar Council as published

Regulatory Review Working Group

The Bar Council Regulatory Working Group is tasked with analysing regulatory proposals and developments that impact the practice of barristers, to influence regulatory developments through the drafting of consultation responses, and to act as a advisory body to the Chair and Executive of the Bar Council on regulatory matters. The working group meet at least four times a year and have formulated policies on n a diverse range of issues such as price transparency, a single regulator, a digital register of authorised legal services providers,  extending the scope of regulation to give clients of unauthorised providers access to redress, regulation by activity or title, quality indicators and ongoing competence. A representative of the IBC attend the Regulatory Review Working Group meetings.

Ethics Committee

The Ethics Committee was formerly called the Professional Practice Committee. It has been in existence for many years and is consulted on everything from consultation papers and guidance reviews to every day issues that crop up for Barristers and Chambers daily. The breadth of its scope is limitless albeit that it does sometimes act as a signpost if something is not considered to be within the remit of ethics. For clerks who are sometimes faced with something that they think may be a breach of ethics then our IBC rep on the committee Tony McDaid.

ADR

The ADR Committee is one of the specialist areas of work sub-committees that has been formed by the IBC to specifically represent the growing world of ADR and to give support to Clerks who work and/or come into contact with Alternative Dispute Resolution processes.

The ADR Committee works alongside the Bar Council’s ADR Panel and Appointments Services Panel, to develop and widen the use of ADR across all areas of Law, as well as working with numerous ADR Providers and Appointing Body’s across the UK and Internationally.

We would be delighted to provide support, assistance and guidance on queries from all Clerks and Practice Managers, and would welcome any comments or observations on this growing area.

For further information, please don’t hesitate to contact Oliver Goldsmith (ogoldsmith@keatingchambers.com)

Young Barristers Committee

The Young Barristers Committee is a Bar Council Committee. George Bennett is a representative of the IBC on this committee.

The terms of reference of the Committee are:

a. To advise the representative committees of the Bar Council on all matters which appear to the Young Barristers’ Committee to be of particular concern to young barristers, or upon which advice is sought by other representative committees of the Bar Council, and to liaise with the BSB on such matters as necessary;

b. To take such steps as seem likely to promote the interests of the Young Bar having regard to the interests of the Bar as whole;