Bar course (vocational component of Bar training)

Legal or regulatory requirement

Bar course (vocational component of Bar training)

BSB (Bar Standards Board); AETO (Authorised Education and Training Organisation)

Completing the vocational component (and 10 qualifying sessions with your Inn) lets your Inn Call you to the Bar. It does not let you practise: you must also complete pupillage, and completing the course does not guarantee pupillage.

Awarding body

Course providers authorised by the Bar Standards Board

Level

Postgraduate (often a postgraduate diploma or LLM)

Where it applies

England & Wales only

Exams

Set by each course — check with the provider

Entry

• The academic component first: a law degree, or a degree in another subject plus a law conversion course (Graduate Diploma in Law), with at least a 2:2
• You must join one of the four Inns of Court before you start
• The Bar Course Aptitude Test (BCAT) is no longer required

Also required

• Ten qualifying sessions with your Inn before you are Called to the Bar
• Formats: one part (full-time over about a year, or part-time), two parts, or integrated with an undergraduate law degree

Exemptions

Lawyers already qualified in England and Wales or elsewhere may be exempt from some or all components — check the BSB's rules.

Continuing development

Practising barristers must meet the BSB's continuing professional development rules.

Outside this area

England and Wales only. Scotland (advocates) and Northern Ireland have separate Bars and rules.

Assessment and registration fees

• Fees are set by each provider and were supplied to the BSB for its 2026/27 factsheet (correct as of 4 August 2026). London fees are usually higher than regional ones, and international students may pay more.
• Some providers sell an LLM version of the course at a higher price.