A pupil barrister has been suspended from practice for 18 months after she was ‘influenced’ by her supervisor’s work.
Georgie Dibbo, a First-Six pupil barrister called in July 2023, was found to have ‘looked at and was influenced by her supervisor’s work when she should not have’ when carrying out a pupil exercise. As a result, she produced a skeleton argument that was ‘very similar’ to her supervisor’s.
When questioned by her chambers about the ‘obvious' similarities, Dibbo, who was completing the first six months of her training period, was ‘untruthful and sought to minimise the extent to which she had accessed and had been influenced by her supervisor’s work’, the Bar Standards Board said.
The tribunal said her ‘conduct in this case was an aberration from her otherwise excellent character’. As Dibbo, described as inexperienced, is a pupil, the 18-month suspension ‘is essentially an order’ that the BSB cannot issue a practising certificate during that time, the regulator said.
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A BSB spokesperson said: ‘Ms Dibbo’s conduct fell below the high standards of honesty and integrity reasonably expected of those training to become members of the Bar, and the sanction reflects this.’
The Bar Tribunals & Adjudication Service findings remain subject to appeal.
