Reshaping professionalism: branding, marketing and the new entrepreneurial barrister

Abstract

Based on empirical evidence from in-depth interviews with barristers and other chambers’ staff, this paper investigates the development of marketing at the Bar of England and Wales since the removal of the advertising ban by the Bar Council in 1990. Marketing has developed in the context of an increasingly competitive market, structural reforms and legal aid cuts. The engagement of marketing consultants, together with a growing array of marketing initiatives, is transforming the cultural landscape at the Bar and is now integral to structural and organisational changes within chambers. This paper analyses the marketing models and techniques that are being deployed and how these developments are reworking traditional notions of legal professionalism. Barristers have had to acquire new skills, marking a shift from the notion of an independent, self-employed practitioner to the new ‘entrepreneurial barrister’. It further examines conflicting evidence on professional attitudes to marketing and its efficacy, despite heavy investment of time and money.