The Bar Council has introduced new measures to improve access to the Bar as it prepares to announce the initial findings of its review of diversity in the profession.

Bar Council chairman Geoffrey Vos QC unveiled a number of initiatives to widen access to the Bar in a speech to think tank Social Mobility Foundation this week (26 February).

These include a placement programme for gifted students from state schools, as well as a package of bank loans that will be made available to Bar Vocational Course students from less-privileged backgrounds.

Vos argued the measures would help students trying to enter the profession overcome a number of challenges, including the cost of training, lack of pupillages and the difficulty of obtaining tenancies.

The speech comes ahead of an interim report and consultation paper into promoting access and diversity at the Bar, which is due to be published before Easter. Lord Neuberger, who is chairing the review, told Legal Week that competency tests would be considered, but admitted they could pose problems: "People who are less privileged could do less well in competency tests as they may not have achieved their potential educationally. However, it may be possible to design a test that would overcome this."