Bar Council said the guidance clarifies how existing professional obligations apply when barristers use AI tools
The Bar Council has welcomed new guidance from the Bar Standards Board (BSB) on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies within the legal profession.
The guidance confirms that the regulator supports the adoption and use of technologies, including AI, where they are likely to improve practice management or enhance the availability, quality, and client experience of barristers’ services.
According to the BSB, barristers and chambers should take a risk-based approach before procuring, adopting, or using AI tools. The guidance also highlights the risks associated with generative AI technologies and explains how existing duties under the BSB Handbook apply when using such systems.
The Bar Council said the guidance complements its own advice on AI and technology, which it updated in November through its joint technology and innovation working group with the regulator.
The BSB’s position does not introduce new professional obligations. Instead, it explains how existing ethical duties apply when barristers use AI tools in legal practice.
The Bar Council also referred to its response to the Civil Justice Council’s consultation on AI in April. In that submission, the organisation agreed there was no need for additional court rules governing the use of AI by legal professionals when drafting legal documents such as statements of case or skeleton arguments.
Kirsty Brimelow KC, Chair of the Bar Council, welcomed the publication of the guidance and said it would help barristers better understand the regulatory framework surrounding the use of AI.
She said: “We welcome the publication of the BSB’s AI guidance, which complements our own, and we believe will help barristers understand what the regulatory framework means for their use of AI.
“We agree that barristers’ use of AI engages several of the BSB Handbook’s ethical principles and Core Duties, including the duties not to mislead the court, to provide a competent standard of work and service, and to act with honesty and integrity.
“The Bar Council encourages a conscientious and responsible use of modern technologies to help provide access to justice and to assist with the administration of justice.”
The guidance forms part of ongoing efforts across the legal sector to address the growing use of AI technologies in professional practice while maintaining compliance with existing ethical and regulatory standards.