The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has today announced the appointment of Kevin Gould as the new Vice-Chair of the Independent Decision-making Body (IDB).

The Independent Decision-making Body was established in October 2019, replacing the Professional Conduct Committee (PCC). If it is thought that a barrister may have breached the BSB Handbook, the IDB is responsible for deciding whether to refer the case on to a Disciplinary Tribunal. The IDB can deal with the case themselves under the Determination by Consent rules, impose an administrative sanction, or dismiss the allegations if the IDB believes that there is not enough evidence that the Handbook has been breached. The IDB is made up of a pool of barristers and lay members. Its panels always have a lay majority.

Commenting on the appointment, Mark Neale, BSB Director General, said: “I welcome Kevin Gould as the IDB’s new Vice-Chair and am certain that his appointment will support the IDB in continuing to take independent decisions on regulatory issues efficiently and effectively.”