Barrister in the UK

Question

I have had an interest in taxation throughout my adult life, and I recently stumbled upon a position at a Chambers to do exactly that, and they also pay for me to become a Barrister.

If I eventually get bored of taxation and I wish to go into Criminal, despite the extremely low salaries, what would be the process to make the change? It would be depressing to think I would have to go through some long bureaucratic process to make the change, unless it simply requires some work experience in the criminal side.

Answer 1

There wouldn't be any formal process - you would just start practicing criminal law, but obviously you would be reading up on criminal law prior to doing so since you would hold relevant professional obligations under the Bar Standards Board Handbook to, well, actually know the law you're practicing—namely Core Duty 7:

You must provide a competent standard of work and service to each client

In other words, you simply need to acquire sufficient knowledge of the criminal law (whether through work experience (most realistically) or through reading up on the law) and to practice it competently and professionally to avoid attracting any sanctions or potential debarrment.