Professional & Financial Services UK-wide

Run a barristers' practice or IP attorney firm

Barristers in England and Wales practise under a Bar Standards Board practising certificate, with separate extensions for conducting litigation and public access work. Patent and trade mark attorneys register with IPReg — the protected titles and the reserved legal activities flow from registration, although anyone may act before the Intellectual Property Office itself.

Guide summary

You must get a Bar Standards Board (BSB) practising certificate to work as a barrister in England and Wales, and separate extensions for litigation or public access work. If you run a barrister-led business, it must be authorised by the BSB. To call yourself a patent attorney or registered trade mark attorney, you must register with IPReg. Both professions must also follow general business rules on health and safety, insurance and anti-money laundering.

  • Get a BSB practising certificate to work as a barrister
  • Get a separate BSB extension to conduct litigation
  • Complete BSB public access training for direct client work
  • Authorise your barrister-led company or partnership with BSB
  • Hold professional indemnity insurance through Bar Mutual
  • Register with IPReg to use the title patent attorney
  • Register with IPReg to use the title registered trade mark attorney
  • Check if your work falls under Money Laundering Regulations
  • Follow general employer rules on health and safety, fire and data protection
  • Barristers in Scotland or Northern Ireland follow different regulators
On this page

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These two professions sit under the Legal Services Act 2007 but outside the solicitor framework. The General Council of the Bar is the approved regulator for barristers, with the Bar Standards Board (BSB) as its independent regulatory arm. CIPA and CITMA are the approved regulators for patent and trade mark attorneys, regulating through IPReg. Each profession has its own register, practising rules and insurance arrangements.

Practise as a barrister

Three extensions matter when you set up: a standard practising certificate confers rights of audience, but conducting litigation needs a separate BSB litigation extension. Public access work (taking instructions directly from lay clients) requires the BSB public access training. A barrister-led company or partnership must be authorised by the BSB as an entity. Practising barristers must also hold adequate professional indemnity cover — for self-employed practice, through membership of the Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund.

Register as a patent or trade mark attorney

The practice side

Chambers and attorney firms are employers like any other: health and safety, fire, employers' liability insurance, equality and data protection all apply. Follow "Set up and run a safe legal or accounting practice". Litigation and advisory work can also bring you within the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 where it involves the specified transactional activities. Check whether your work needs an AML supervisor.

Devolved regulation

The BSB regulates barristers in England and Wales. Advocates in Scotland are regulated by the Faculty of Advocates, and barristers in Northern Ireland by the General Council of the Bar of Northern Ireland. IPReg's registers are UK-wide.

Official sources

The regulators for the Bar and the IP attorney professions.