UK Employment Insights: Bar Council Report Calls for Radical Change to Address Workplace Harassment

Margot Harvey, Senior Legal Analyst

Margot, formerly our Head UK Legal Analyst, is now studying for the Master of Laws (LLM) Solicitor’s Practice Programme at City University of London, aiming to qualify as a solicitor in England & Wales later this year. She focuses on employment, higher education and sexual abuse cases in the UK team.

On 8 September 2025, the Bar Council published a report detailing the findings of its independent review of bullying, harassment and sexual harassment at the Bar. The Bar Council is the approved regulator for the Bar, or in other words, the practising barristers in England and Wales. Baroness Harriet Harman KC chaired the review.

This follows the 2023 report on bullying, harassment and discrimination, which pulled from relevant data sources to identify systemic issues within the Bar. Consequently, Baroness Harriet Harman KC was appointed to investigate the problem and propose solutions. 170 written submissions were considered, alongside meetings with barristers at all levels and other employees within the field.

In the report, the Bar Council recognise the gravity of the problem and indicate their determination to tackle it. A key issue identified is the culture of impunity for those at the top. The report found that victims feel unable to complain, for fear that perpetrators in positions of power will not be punished and that the victim may face retaliation. Baroness Harman found “decisive and radical change is needed to effect a reset of the culture”.

The Report makes 36 recommendations, including greater clarity and training on professional misconduct, harassment and bullying, including in the context of sexual relationships between those at different levels of seniority. 

Additional recommendations include guidance on reporting and complaints processes, protection and safeguarding of students and junior staff-members.

Time limits are proposed for investigating complaints, as well as victim support services and specialist training for regulatory teams investigating sensitive complaints. More significant sanctions are also recommended, to deter wrongdoing, including that past misconduct could be considered in assessing career progression. Baroness Harman proposes that the Bar Council appoint a Commissioner for Conduct to implement these recommendations. In response, the Bar Council have stated “that change starts now”.

Acknowledgement of these issues, and meaningful steps towards resolution, is vital to building safe workplaces for all. Bullying, harassment and sexual harassment are not isolated to the legal profession. According to the December 2023 Crime Survey for England and Wales, 18% of all reported harassment happened in the workplace. Research on behalf of the BBC found that 40% of women and 18% of men have experienced some form of unwanted sexual behaviour in the workplace, ranging from unwelcome jokes or comments of a sexual nature to serious sexual assault.