Pressure on regulator
Complaints to the Bar Standards Board (BSB) about barristers’ social media posts have more than doubled over the past year, the regulator has revealed.
According to its latest annual report, published last week, the BSB assessed 279 complaints relating to social media conduct in 2025-26, up from 132 the previous year. Most concerned the Israel-Palestine conflict (192), while gender rights accounted for the second-largest category (42).
The rise came amid a broader increase in complaints and enquiries to the regulator. The BSB received 3,439 reports and general enquiries in 2025-26, compared with 2,614 the previous year. Of these, it assessed 2,464 reports, a 31% increase on the 1,880 assessed in 2024-25.
The BSB’s social media guidance, published in 2023, focuses on how barristers express their views rather than the views themselves. However, posts deemed “dishonest or discriminatory” may trigger regulatory action.
The guidance identifies several types of conduct likely to attract scrutiny, including comments targeting individuals or groups that are “seriously offensive, discriminatory, harassing, threatening, or bullying”. Sharing offensive material posted by others without clearly expressing disagreement, as well as making “gratuitous” attacks on judges or the justice system, may also result in regulatory action.
The annual report also revealed that the BSB concluded 114 investigations in 2025-26, up from 94 the previous year. Of those concluded, 51% were referred for disciplinary action, while the remaining 49% were closed following investigation.
A total of 28 cases were heard at tribunal, with the allegations found proved in 23. Sanctions included nine disbarments, five suspensions, seven fines and four reprimands.
Phil Golding, director General of the BSB, acknowledged that the growing volume of reports had placed pressure on the regulator’s performance. He said:
“In the last year, we have seen the volume of reports about barristers increase by over a quarter (29%) which has impacted our efficiency and timeliness targets… We are therefore focused on operational delivery and will increase our resilience in the face of fluctuating volumes of work across all our front-line services, bringing organisational improvements in effectiveness and efficiency. A key priority in the year ahead is to meet our targets and to eradicate our operational backlogs.”
