Bar Council appoints first conduct commissioner to tackle sexual harassment

Dame Maria Miller takes up new role

The Bar Council has appointed its first-ever commissioner for conduct in a move aimed at tackling bullying and sexual harassment across the profession, following a damning independent review that warned of an “unsustainable situation” at the bar.

Former Women and Equalities Committee chair and ex-cabinet minister Dame Maria Miller has been named as the inaugural office holder. Awarded a damehood in 2022 for her work on equality matters, Miller currently chairs domestic abuse charity SafeLives and will take up the role this month.

The appointment is a direct response to the Independent Review of Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Harassment at the Bar, led by Baroness Harriet Harman KC, which set out 36 “decisive and radical” recommendations and concluded that only structural reform would end what it described as a “culture of denial” at the top of the profession.

Legal Cheek reported last year that the review called for sweeping changes, including a new rule making it serious misconduct for barristers, clerks or chambers staff to have sexual relationships with pupils or mini-pupils, in order to address abuses of power during the pupillage stage.

The report warned that aspiring barristers are particularly vulnerable given chambers’ control over tenancy decisions, and stressed that misconduct should be “career-limiting or career-ending”.

One of the review’s central recommendations was the creation of an independent commissioner for conduct to oversee reform, ensure consistency across chambers and provide a trusted route for raising concerns.

In her new post, Miller will be responsible for promoting a safe, respectful and professional culture at the bar. Her remit includes handling bullying, harassment and sexual harassment reports under an agreed protocol with the Bar Standards Board (BSB), liaising with the judiciary, and providing confidential support to barristers, pupils and others working in and around the profession.

Welcoming the appointment, Bar Council chair Kirsty Brimelow KC said Miller would provide “authoritative guidance” and act as a trusted point of contact.

“There is no place for bullying, harassment and sexual harassment at the bar,” Brimelow said. “With Dame Maria overseeing this work, I am determined that we can stamp out these behaviours.”

Harman also backed the appointment, saying the role was key to ensuring that reform no longer rests on the “slight shoulders of the victims of misconduct”.