Barbara Mills Kings Council (KC) becomes the first Black leader in the 131-year history of the Bar Council - the body that represents the voice of barrister in England and Wales.
In her new role as chair of the Bar Council, she leads nearly 18,000 members – self-employed and employed barristers.
Barbara is the first specialist family practitioner in the role of chair of the Bar since Sir Robert Johnson in 1988.
In her inaugural speech at Inner Temple Hall on 8 January, she outlined intentions to:
📌raise the profile of the family Bar (including in relation to tackling violence against women and girls),
📌enhance the wellbeing of the profession, making further strides on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI),
📌and continue to press for the resources needed to restore the justice system.
She also paid tribute to two strong women in her life: her late mother Rosa, and her sister Linda, who travelled from the USA to support her new appointment.
Barbara was called to the Bar in the very room she delivered her speech on Tuesday 16 October 1990, at age 23.
She secured a pupillage at 4 Paper Buildings and later specialised in family law. In 2022, she decided to serve as Chair of the Bar.
During her speech, she told guests:
“Why did I decide to stand? In part to show what is now possible in this profession and to pass on what has helped me and many others to succeed.
“On paper, I didn’t fit the stereotype in 1990, fair or unfair. Not a man. Not white. Didn’t go to Oxbridge, I studied law at Hull University and lacked parents with resources. And – last but not least – I had no connections within the profession.
“But I backed myself, felt resilient and adaptable, and was prepared to work hard and seize opportunities when they came along.”