Barristers found guilty of professional misconduct could see fines of up to £15,000 and be ordered to take a professional ethics test under new sentencing options set to be made available to disciplinary tribunals.

The changes are part of an extensive overhaul of the Bar's complaints and disciplinary processes announced today as a result of a Bar Standard Board (BSB) consultation.

In addition to the expanded range of sentencing options, the BSB hopes to bring in a faster 'determination by consent' system which will allow barristers to avoid a formal hearing with the BSB complaints committee instead handed powers to adjudicate on allegations of misconduct subject to agreement of the barrister.

The complaints committee itself will also be overhauled over the next four years, with the current roster of 54 barristers and 12 lay members being replaced by a group of 38 barristers and 24 lay members.

Among other changes, the BSB will also streamline the hearings and tribunal processes, resulting in a single disciplinary tribunal jurisdiction.

The BSB is now preparing to change its code to implement the measures with the new system expected to be up and running by December 2008.

BSB chair Ruth Evans said: "Dealing efficiently and fairly with the small number of complaints we receive against barristers is a core duty of the BSB. The changes we have announced today will make a good system even better.

"The consultation process has revealed the importance of getting the system right, and the passionate views we heard expressed should leave no-one in any doubt as to the importance which the profession itself sets on dealing with barristers who provide poor service to consumers or breach the Code of Conduct."