Bar Standards Board AI Guidance (May 2026) — Competence and Practice Management Standards for Barristers

The Bar Standards Board published its Guidance on the Use of Artificial Intelligence and Other Technologies in May 2026, establishing the professional conduct framework for barristers using AI in practice. The guidance is structured by stage of adoption rather than by rule priority — covering general ethical considerations under the BSB Handbook, competence and CPD obligations, practice management standards for AI procurement and adoption, technology management and use procedures, duties at the point of use on client matters, and responsibilities when others (solicitors, clients, third parties) use AI in connected work. The guidance does not create new professional conduct rules; it recontextualises existing obligations — competence, confidentiality, supervision, candor — within the AI environment, applying the same analysis that the Alabama bar took in its Formal Opinion 2026-01 on the US side. For chambers that are deploying AI research tools, document drafting assistants, or case management automation, the BSB guidance creates specific procurement and oversight requirements: chambers must assess AI tools before adoption, implement appropriate management and governance procedures, and maintain competence in the tools they use. The guidance applies the BSB Handbook's professional standards framework to the AI context and creates a professional conduct baseline that chambers' management should document against.