Employed and junior barristers are set to be given a greater role on the Bar Council following a report by a working group into the composition of the representative body.

The report, published today (23 May), recommends increased representation on the council for specialist bar associations and for young, junior and employed barristers among its 118 members.

The working group, chaired by former Court of Appeal judge Sir Paul Kennedy, also proposes a number of changes to the council's voting system, including replacing the current single transferable vote mechanism with a 'first past the post' system and allowing candidates to stand with the backing of just one other subscriber instead of six.

The proposals are the result of a year-long study into how the composition of the Bar Council should be amended ahead of the incoming Legal Services Bill.

The group concluded that the Bar Council is "generally effective" but said its performance on issues of gender, ethnicity and disability should be kept under review.

The findings come after Lord Neuberger's report last month into widening access to the Bar, which focused primarily on entry to the Bar Vocational Course.

Commenting on the findings, Kennedy said in a statement: "We believe the changes we are proposing will improve representation of the Bar across its broad range of specialisms, while at the same time giving a better share of voice to those barristers outside self-employed practice."

Talkback: Is the Bar Council "generally effective" in your view? Will these measures address its shortcomings? Click here to have your say.