30 November 2017
The controversial Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) has been abandoned, the Bar Standards Board has confirmed. QASA, an accreditation scheme for criminal advocates, was first proposed in 2013 by the three regulators for solicitors, barristers and Chartered Legal Executives, but proved unpopular. Chair of the Bar, Andrew Langdon QC, said: ‘The birth of QASA was not celebrated by many and its death will be mourned by fewer. It is well known that many barristers were unhappy with the proposed scheme, not least because it risked placing both advocates and judges in a problematic position, given their respective roles during a trial.’
