Barristers are feeling unloved. They believe that the public thinks them out of touch and highly paid. In general, too, people, they believe, do not hold them in high regard.

The truth is somewhat different. Today the findings are published of the first research into what people think of barristers — their public image — alongside the views of barristers themselves.

And the overall verdict is that barristers are seen to be of “integrity, honesty and intellect”, with 96 per cent of solicitors or other instructing professionals rating them as providing good or excellent advice and guidance. Even prisoners, notoriously disenchanted, agreed — with 60 per cent endorsing this view, even when they felt that their own barrister had performed badly in court.

The survey, the first of its kind, has been carried out by Ipsos MORI for the Bar Standards Board that regulates the 14,000 barristers in England and Wales, to inform its work and act as a benchmark on the impact of its reforms.

And it shows that barristers’ views of what the public thinks can be wide of the mark — whether on the positive or negative side.

So while nearly half, or 47 per cent, of barristers believe that the public thinks that they are out of touch — only 16 per cent of the public actually thinks that to be the case.

And while 56 per cent of barristers believe that the public sees them as a trusted and highly regarded profession the reality is that only three in ten of the public think that.

The survey of more than 3,600 interviews and another 441 questionnaires also discloses a marked gap in how barristers’ clients (whether prisoners, solicitors or other professionals) view the service that the Bar gives.

In an apparent contradiction, it finds that people believe barristers to be “competent, highly qualified and dedicated professionals providing a high-quality service”. But it simultaneously exposes some dissatisfaction among clients who feel that they are short-changed in terms of time given to them.

While 89 per cent of barristers felt that they were effective at ensuring enough time is spent with clients, only 43 per cent of prisoners, 57 per cent of the general public and 66 per cent of solicitors or other instructing professionals agreed that was the case.

Ruth Evans, chairman of the Bar Standards Board, said: “At the moment barristers think the world does not love them, when in fact it partially loves them and would love them more, if they performed better.”

Mark Stobbs, director of the Bar Standard Board, adds: “They do have a very jaundiced view of what the world thinks of them; and the survey does show there is some positive support out there.”

Beyond image, the survey discloses some interesting findings on what barristers think — confirming if nothing else that they are not complacent.

They are critical of current regulation and more than half, 57 per cent, do not think that the system is effective at dealing with sub-standard barristers, with 50 per cent saying it is ineffective against the incompetent (although there was a low awareness of what action is taken) and just under half, 48 per cent, saying it is ineffective at dealing with the unethical.

There was also concern about the quality of training, with more than one third criticising the one-year Bar Vocational Course.

And perhaps most striking of all, substantial appetite for reform of working methods, with 31 per cent backing direct access for clients (avoiding the need to instruct a solicitor) and nearly one in four arguing for partnership or corporate structures to be introduced.

The verdict was welcomed by Geoffrey Vos, QC, the Bar chairman, who agreed, however, that more could be done to improve client care. But overall, he noted that the Bar “is seen as a profession of integrity providing high quality services”.

And barristers should take heart: perhaps the fat-cat image is finally being laid to rest. More than 80 per cent think that the public regard them as well-paid. But the figure according to the survey is much lower, at 60 per cent. As to whether barristers themselves think they are well paid, only 27 per cent agree — in what must be the least surprising finding of all.

In summary, solicitors should probably have the last word. They are prepared, the survey finds, to put up with what they say is barristers’ eccentricity and lack of people skills because they value their expert knowledge and advocacy.

“It’s a profession that seems to draw those kinds of people ,” one said. “I don’t think it’s necessarily a problem; they can be extremely good advocates. You just can’t have a conversation with them.”

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