New agreement strengthens cooperation on tackling bullying and harassment across courts
The Bar Council, its Commissioner for Conduct and the senior judiciary have signed a new agreement designed to strengthen efforts to address bullying, harassment, discrimination and exclusionary behaviour across the courts and tribunals of England and Wales. The joint statement was published on 8 July 2026.
The agreement has been signed by the Bar Council’s Commissioner for Conduct, Dame Maria Miller, alongside the Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales, Baroness Sue Carr, and the Senior President of Tribunals, Sir Keith Lindblom. It establishes a framework for cooperation while recognising the constitutional independence of both the Bar and the judiciary.
Under the agreement, the parties reaffirm their shared commitment to ensuring that judicial office holders, legal professionals, court staff and court users are treated with courtesy and respect. The document also makes clear that the Commissioner has no regulatory authority over judges and that responsibility for judicial conduct remains with the Lady Chief Justice and, where appropriate, the Lord Chancellor through the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office.
The agreement introduces arrangements for engagement between the Commissioner and the judiciary. A designated lead judge will coordinate discussions on behalf of the Lady Chief Justice and the Senior President of Tribunals. Judicial office holders will be encouraged to engage with the Commissioner, although participation will remain voluntary. Where the Commissioner wishes to visit courts or tribunals to discuss concerns relating to bullying, harassment, discrimination or exclusionary behaviour, advance approval will be required through the relevant judicial offices.
It also establishes a process for sharing high-level, anonymised information about concerns reported by barristers. In appropriate cases, and where consent has been obtained or lawfully dispensed with, reports identifying an individual judicial office holder may be disclosed initially in anonymised form to the lead judge before being passed to the relevant judicial leadership where necessary. The Commissioner may also apply for access to recordings of court proceedings, where available, to help assess allegations and support barristers considering the available reporting routes.
In addition, the agreement allows the Commissioner to act as an intermediary for barristers using the judiciary’s informal process for raising concerns about judicial behaviour. The parties also commit to having regard to the judiciary’s Statement of Expected Behaviour when promoting respectful professional standards.
The agreement forms part of the Bar Council’s wider programme of work to improve professional culture and support efforts to address bullying, harassment, discrimination and exclusionary behaviour across the legal profession.