Bar Council survey finds 63% believe public access to justice is unacceptable.
Barristers have raised serious concerns about access to justice, with 63% saying the public does not have access to justice at an acceptable level, according to a new Bar Council report.
The findings come from Access to justice: the view from the Bar, based on responses from 3,669 barristers to a question included in the Bar Council’s 2025 Barristers’ Working Lives survey.
Only 22% of respondents said people have an acceptable level of access to justice, while 15% said they did not know. When those who answered “don’t know” were excluded, 26% of barristers agreed that people had adequate access, compared with 74% who disagreed.
Of the 2,714 barristers who said the public could not access justice in an acceptable way, more than 90% provided written explanations for their views.
Court delays and backlogs were among the most frequently cited concerns. Overall, 62% of those providing written responses mentioned court delays, while 55% referred to legal aid or funding. A further 34% raised costs or affordability and 24% highlighted court infrastructure.
Access to legal aid was also identified as a significant issue. The Bar Council said the report noted that demand for free legal advice services had outstripped availability by 17 times, citing figures from the Access to Justice Foundation.
Barristers also raised concerns about staffing and working conditions across the justice system. One criminal barrister said that overworked barristers and solicitors were affecting the administration of justice, while colleagues were leaving criminal practice for other areas of law where they could earn more.
The report also records concerns about court facilities. Some barristers said courts lacked basic amenities, including toilets and drinking water, while one respondent reported finding rats in a robing room.
Some respondents described the justice system as “broken”, with 62 barristers using that description in their comments.
Bar Council Chair Kirsty Brimelow KC said a properly functioning justice system was a cornerstone of a democratic society. She said the justice system should be treated as a vital public service and called for long-term systemic change.
The report provides a snapshot of barristers’ views based on the 2025 survey and identifies delays, funding, affordability and court infrastructure as the principal concerns raised by respondents.