The Bar Standards Board is to overhaul the barristers’ code of conduct to bring it into line with other regulatory instruments and create a set of ‘clear and user friendly’ professional rules. It will be the first structural change to the code since its introduction in 1981.

A consultation to launch the change proposes seven core duties, setting standards of proper professional conduct for members of the bar and underpinning the conduct rules. Core duties include the duty to act with integrity and honesty, to maintain professional independence and client confidentiality and not to discriminate improperly.

The paper was drawn up by a group of barristers and lay people, chaired by Sir Donald Irvine, former president of the General Medical Council.

The new code will have to take into account rule changes spurred by the Legal Services Act. These may include removing the prohibition on partnerships and abolishing the cab rank rule.

The consultation closes on 5 June.