Trainee barristers £20,000 in debt by time they qualify

Entry to the barristers' profession is still the preserve of the rich and middle classes who can afford to shoulder average debts of £20,000, a study has found. Poorer law students who can't afford such heavy financial burdens end up as solicitors or find alternative careers, says the report.

The findings, based on a survey of 100 young barristers on the Western Circuit, support recent claims made by Cherie Booth QC, the Prime Minister's wife, that the Bar is excluding bright students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Ms Booth, a leading employment and human rights barrister, has said she has heard horror stories of student barristers burdened with debts of £20,000 when they start practice at the Bar.

But the new study shows that £20,000 is the average debt for young barristers under 25 years old and that in one case the debt was as high as £40,000. Nigel Lickley, one of the barristers who helped compile the research for the Bar, said half of the young lawyers had borrowed directly from their families. In one or two responses it was made clear that the size of the family's wealth meant money was not an issue.

Mr Lickley said: "It is a problem that we have been aware of for some time. Financing your training is a massive deterrent to people wanting to come to the Bar."

The authors of the study concluded that "those from less wealthy families are less likely to survive at the Bar and many will carry debt for many years."

Nearly half of those questioned said they had considered an alternative career because of financial difficulties.

Without greater funding, the authors warned, the quality of candidates to the Bar would "deteriorate" and it might be necessary to restrict the number of students taking the Bar Vocational Course (BVC). Of about 1,500 students who take the BVC each year, more than 400 achieve their dreams of becoming barristers in private chambers.

"Even if you manage to qualify and get a pupillage and then a tenancy, 40 per cent still experience debt. It does not go away even when you start practising," said Mr Lickley.

Among the reasons for lingering debt were delays in paying barristers, the report says.

The Bar Council is drawing up plans to address the problem of funding. One proposal is that the highest-earning barristers should contribute a small share of their earnings to fund students through their training.

When Ms Booth entered the profession 20 years ago, she was able to rely on local authority grants. Now that source has all but dried up, and students pay up to £9,000 in tuition fees for their one-year BVC, on top of accumulated debts from university.

The report, which is out for consultation until the end of the month, was drawn up by Sir Robin Mountfield, a former permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office. It found that the Bar's competitors in recruitment – solicitors, accountants and the City – were offering generous packages for training and guaranteed jobs afterwards.

Sir Robin recommends that barristers could contribute 0.25 per cent of gross income, if earning between £100,000 and £250,000, or 0.5 per cent for those earning more than £250,000, to go towards a scholarship scheme.

The chairman of the Bar, David Bean QC, told the Bar conference last month that it was "complacent" to argue that funding was not a real problem facing the profession.

Case study: Katie Gibb, 26: 'I'm sure lots are deterred by the financial commitment'

Katie Gibb, 26, first dreamt of becoming a barrister after spending a few weeks with a chambers in Manchester. Ten years later, with debts of about £20,000, she realises her dream job is not what she imagined. "Apart from the huge debt there is a great deal of stress with people expecting you to turn around work very quickly," she said."

Ms Gibb is an Oxford graduate who has worked hard to gain a place at the Bar. She worked at Marks & Spencer for a year to help pay for her law conversion course. But she continued to build up debts. By the time she was taken on by Guildhall Chambers in Bristol she owed £20,000. Three years later her debts remain the same."I'm sure lots of students have been put off coming to the Bar because of the financial commitment required," she said. "Some of my friends at Oxford chose to become solicitors because they knew they would get much better funding."