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Contractual Terms
| Purpose: | To provide Standard Contractual Terms for use by barristers instructed by solicitors, guidance on the Terms. |
|---|---|
| Scope of application: | All practising barristers |
| Issued by: | The Remuneration Committee |
| First reviewed: | 01/03/2013 |
| Last reviewed: | 22/06/2026 |
| Status and effect: | Please see the notice at end of this page. This is not “guidance” for the purposes of the BSB Handbook I6.4. |
On 31 January 2013, Standard Contractual Terms were first introduced. They have been updated several times since then, most recently in June 2026.
The Bar Standards Board Handbook states, rC30.9c: “The cab rank rule rC29 does not apply if […] accepting the instructions would require you to act other than on (A) the Standard Contractual Terms for the Supply of Legal Services by Barristers to Authorised Persons 2026 as published on the Bar Council’s website; or (B) if you publish standard terms of work, on those standard terms of work.”
Click the links below for the Standard Contractual Terms and the Guide to the Contractual Terms.
For further information or clarification, please contact Remuneration@BarCouncil.org.uk
Download: The Standard Contractual Terms for the Supply of Legal Services by Barristers to Authorised Persons 2026:
Download ( PDF )Download: The Standard Contractual Terms for the Supply of Legal Services by Barristers to Authorised Persons 2026 (Word Document):
Download ( DOCX )Download: Guide to Contractual Terms:
Download ( PDF )Download: Note on the Use of Limitations of Liability, published by the BMIF and COMBAR with assistance from Herbert Smith Freehills (November 2025) : This note on the Use of Limitations of Liability was originally published by the BMIF and COMBAR with assistance from Herbert Smith Freehills in November 2025. Please note that as at the publication date of that note, paragraph 36 of the note correctly stated that the SCT did not at that time include a precedent liability cap, but they now do.” :
Download ( PDF )Important Notice
This document has been prepared by the Bar Council to assist barristers on matters of professional conduct and ethics. It is not “guidance” for the purposes of the BSB Handbook I6.4, and neither the BSB nor a disciplinary tribunal nor the Legal Ombudsman is bound by any views or advice expressed in it. It does not comprise – and cannot be relied on as giving – legal advice. It has been prepared in good faith, but neither the Bar Council nor any of the individuals responsible for or involved in its preparation accept any responsibility or liability for anything done in reliance on it. For fuller information as to the status and effect of this document, please see here.