Employed barristers look set to develop their own professional code of conduct as the Bar Council takes its first look at ethical guidelines for the barristers working in-house.

The Bar Council's employed barristers' committee (EBC) has introduced the move in response to the recent liberalisation of employed barristers' rights.

The changes have prompted a need for clarification of the delicate balance between a barrister's independence and the obligations of barristers in firms and industry to their employers.