There comes a point when change is swirling around with such force that the only thing to do is to stand back and look beyond the storm. This has been my reaction to the crisis in public affairs which has beset Government as a result of the recession and growth in public debt.

This impacts prejudicially not only upon legal aid spend but also on the private sector which, directly and indirectly, is hit by the contraction in the purchase of goods and services.

A crisis is a very good time to take a long hard look at oneself. My starting point has been to ask where the Bar ought to be in 10 years' time. The next task is to identify what needs to be done to get the Bar from here to there, and with an end and starting point we can map out the steps to be taken.

In 10 years I see the Bar as a low-cost, high-quality provider of litigation and specialist advisory services. We will not have modified our rules to move into traditional solicitor work; we will, however, have entrenched our core skills.

What does this mean in practice? It means that we will have moved fully into direct access and entity regulation. In 10 years, numerous sets of chambers will in effect be fully-functioning litigation units. There will still be a strong focus upon advocacy but much more of the preparatory work will be done by the Bar. Further, we will use many more commercial and corporate vehicles to organise ourselves.

A key characteristic of the business models we are working on is that they do not undermine the traditional chambers model. This is a key advantage of the Bar, namely the independence of its practitioners. We owe our duty to the court first and the client second but not to our colleagues in chambers. These characteristics are a major selling point. Moreover, if chambers turned into partnerships or companies then the conflicts rule would apply to the unit as a whole and not to the individual barrister. The Bar would hence lose work.

The challenge will be in controlling costs, which will surely rise as the business model becomes more complex. But I have little doubt there are numerous new ways of working which can manage costs without compromising quality.

In my frequent discussions with partners in solicitors firms I know there is real concern that the traditional law firm structure is under threat. All sorts of new practice models will emerge and since the Bar starts from the very low-cost end of the picture we have the opportunity to explore new models.

I have spent a lot of time this year making the Bar Council more responsive to the professional needs of members. We are centre stage in the modernisation process. The impression of the fusty barrister is being shrugged off very rapidly. The typical barrister is fleet of foot and technically savvy.

I do not even recall the last set of instructions I received wrapped in ribbon. Wigs and gowns have been replaced in most commercial and civil courts with business suits. Chambers are setting up outposts across the world.

Finally, in 10 years, how will we work with solicitors? Certainly there is some repositioning going on but this will not weaken old friendships and working relationships. In future we will still appreciate that we are largely complementary and value each others' skills. The end result will be greater symbiosis.

Nicholas Green QC is the Bar Council chairman.

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