An independent review has found "systemic sexual harassment and bullying" within the Bar in England and Wales, concluding that inappropriate behaviour is widespread in chambers, courtrooms and behind robing-room doors.
The review, led by Baroness Harriet Harman KC, includes accounts from pupils, junior and senior barristers and staff. It details repeated examples of sexual assault, unwanted touching, propositions and verbal abuse. One contributor, pupil barrister Eve Robinson, told the BBC that a more senior barrister groped her at after-work drinks when she was 23, an incident that later led to a disciplinary tribunal finding the behaviour could amount to sexual assault and unlawful harassment. The tribunal accepted the barrister, identified as Craig Charles Tipper, admitted the allegations early, expressed remorse and was suspended from practice for several months.
Harman said the review revealed a "cohort of untouchables" and a power dynamic that leaves trainees and junior staff fearing that complaints would amount to "career suicide." The report drew on more than 170 written submissions and face-to-face meetings with people working in chambers and courts. It found that 44% of respondents said they had experienced or observed bullying, harassment or discrimination while working either in person or online over a two-year period.
The review sets out 36 recommendations to tackle misconduct and cultural problems at the Bar. They include mandatory anti-bullying and anti-harassment training for all members of the Bar, establishment of an independent conduct tsar, an overhaul of the complaints system, and a ban on relationships between more senior barristers and junior staff or people on work experience. Harman also criticized historical conduct by some judges, citing an incident more than 15 years ago in which a fee-paid judge had sex in judicial chambers; the judge, Paul Kirtley, was found to have committed misconduct and received a formal warning but remains on the Bench.
Harman wrote that courts must remain places "for the administration of justice not for sexual activity," and questioned how some individuals accused of serious misconduct could continue to sit as judges. The report also documents bullying by judges and senior counsel that allegedly caused junior barristers to prioritize certain cases or to feel intimidated into silence, with knock-on effects for the administration of justice.
The Bar Council asked Harman, a former leader of the House of Commons, to carry out the review after 2023 research signalled rising reports of inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour in chambers and courts. There are 17,864 practising barristers in England and Wales, according to the Bar Council, and the review says action taken so far has not produced sustained cultural change.
Barbara Mills KC, chair of the Bar Council, said in response to the report: "There is no place for bullying and harassment at the Bar. We're aware of the scale of the problem, but seeing its impact on our colleagues and those aspiring to join the profession in this report makes for uncomfortable reading. It is clear from the review that decisive action is required." The Bar Council did not set out an immediate timetable for implementing Harman's recommendations in its initial statement.
Contributors to the review described a range of experiences, from being propositioned and groped to being shouted at in court and left feeling isolated. One woman told the review that a male barrister offered to pay for her Bar Professional Training Course if she engaged in an intimate relationship with him; when she refused, he called her "frigid," she said. Another recounted being asked about sadomasochistic sexual acts by a male barrister who later messaged her and pursued dates.
Harman urged reforms aimed at prevention, better reporting and stronger protection for those who come forward. The recommendations are intended to protect victims, support complainants through clearer procedures and safeguard the reputation of the Bar, which she said must uphold high standards as an institution central to the rule of law.
The report stops short of prescribing immediate disciplinary outcomes for named individuals beyond previously completed proceedings, but it places responsibility on the Bar's institutions to act on the culture the review describes. It also recommends that relationships between supervisors and those they supervise be prohibited to reduce conflicts of power and potential exploitation.
The review will be considered by the Bar Council and other bodies that regulate and represent barristers. Harman's findings add to ongoing debate within the legal profession about how best to police behaviour, support victims and ensure equal access to career progression without fear of reprisal.
Support and advice for those affected by sexual harassment or assault are available, including through BBC Action Line.