The Bar Council has kicked off a review of its complaints and disciplinary system as the professional body moves to head off the impact of the Legal Services Bill.

The Bar has drafted in King's College gerontology professor Deborah Price, an expert in the ageing process, to produce new research from a survey of barristers and complainants as part of the review of the existing system.

The shake-up will be over-seen by the Bar's independent complaints commissioner Robert Behrens, who was appointed in June to form part of the new-look regulation arm, dubbed the Bar Standards Board (BSB).

Last week Behrens unveiled an 'issues and questions' consultation paper designed to canvass opinion among barristers, with responses due by 20 November.

The review will also include a qualitative study of staff employed within the Bar's complaints handling system and will assess its strengths and weaknesses as well as any potential improvements.

Behren's findings are due to be published in mid-2007.

He commented: "The Bar's complaints handling is in good order. However, we are far from complacent and a great deal can be done to improve the way these matters are handled to ensure the process is both rigorous and sensitive to complainants."