Samuel Townend KC elected as Bar Council Chair for 2024

Date: 2 January 2024

Congratulations to Samuel Townend KC, who has begun his term as the elected Chair of the Bar Council for 2024.

The Bar Council is the lead representative body for all practising barristers in England and Wales. Its work is devoted to ensuring the Bar’s voice is heard, efficiently and effectively, with a focus on the public interest and the interests of the Bar. Of his appointment, Samuel said: “I am delighted to begin work as Chair of the Bar Council for 2024, in what is a challenging time for the justice system and the Bar on many fronts.”

Building on the Bar Council’s recent work, Samuel has set out his priorities – which include addressing chronic underfunding across jurisdictions and the courts estate, promoting diversity, removing unnecessary regulatory burdens on the profession, and tackling inadequate and unequal pay. He also references his non-traditional background, having attended state schools and with no lawyers in the family: “A career at the Bar was something I read about or saw fictionalised on screen, rather than being born into. I hope it gives me something of an insight into the challenges many from less advantaged backgrounds face when seeking to establish a career at the Bar.”

Samuel is described in the legal directories as being “a great strategist” with “a first-class mind”. He brings a wealth of experience to the role from his current roles as Co-Chair of the Legal Services Committee (LSC) and Chair of the Regulatory Review Working Group, as well as five years on Keating Chambers’ own Executive Committee. Samuel will return to full-time practice as a barrister at Keating in 2025.