Inns of Court events and schemes
There are four Inns of Court - Gray's Inn, Inner Temple, Lincoln's Inn and Middle Temple - and you must be a member of one of the Inns before beginning the vocational component of becoming a barrister. They are like professional associations and have a very important role in the education of young barristers and oversight over several parts of becoming a barrister. The Inns also provide a strong sense of community and support for your professional development.
The Inns of Court provide a lot of information and resources for prospective barristers. Additionally, they are a major source of financial assistance to students looking at a career at the Bar. Please see below to find out more about the events, programmes, and funding that the Inns provide.
Each Inn of Court is unique and provides various programmes and initiatives to support you if you are interested in becoming a barrister. Please see below for a spotlight on each Inn's activities.
The Inn is running a Uni Advocacy Day on Monday 19 October 2020. The day will offer University students an opportunity to meet and listen to what leading barristers say are the key elements of good advocacy; to participate in a facilitated case analysis, ethics discussions and finally, under the guidance of accredited advocacy trainers, to get on their feet and perform a bit of advocacy. The evening will end with a reception hosted by judicial and barrister members of the Inn, all of whom sit and/or practise in all areas of law and at all levels.
Griffin LAW day introduces sixth form students to the legal profession, build their knowledge of the rule of law and develop their skills in advocacy and persuasion. Their Griffin students are identified by their schools as having aptitude and potential, but insufficient access to opportunity. 5-7 different schools visit Gray’s Inn and are taught the basics of debating. The day culminates in a final debate in Hall, chaired by a Gray’s Inn member of the judiciary.
The Pegasus Access and Support Scheme (PASS) was established by the Inn and 62 different partner chambers, across a range of practice areas. Their aim is to improve access to the profession and to support high achieving students from under-represented backgrounds by providing the experiences they need to be able to thrive at the Bar. PASS aims to do this by securing a mini-pupillage in chambers for each participant. PASS also supports participants by providing a focused professional and advocacy skills development programme. The Inner Temple covers the associated travel and accommodation costs for PASS so that the participants can fully enjoy the mini-pupillage experience and the development programme. Applications for PASS are open until 2 December.
In 2008, the Inner Temple launched a pioneering Schools Project to ensure that all students, regardless of their background, are aware of the opportunities available to them at the modern Bar, and to raise aspirations towards the professions more generally. Through workshops and activities, the programme challenges stereotypes about the profession, provides information about the legal system of England and Wales and promotes social mobility at the Bar. The Inn hosts five Discovery Days for students aged 16-18 each year and we would be delighted to hear from interested students and teachers.
Lincoln’s Inn also has their well-established Neuberger Prize. This is targeted specifically at students at non-Russell Group Universities, who are about to head into the final year of their university studies. Each year up to five students are selected to receive a Neuberger Prize, which includes funding of £1,000. Since inception, past Neuberger Prize winners have become scholars of the Inn, and gone into Pupillage.
The Middle Temple Access to the Bar Awards are an example of how we aim to reach able students from backgrounds which do not traditionally encourage aspirations for a career at the Bar and help them to make an informed choice about their opportunities.
Funded by the donations of senior members of the Inn, the scheme provides two funded weeks (£250 per week) of work experience every summer for up to thirty undergraduates from disadvantaged backgrounds. One week is spent marshalling (i.e. shadowing a judge in court) and the other week in Chambers with a barrister.
Middle Temple holds an Open Day on the last Saturday in March. The day consists of practitioner-led panel discussions, lectures, networking opportunities and workshops to provide insight into a career at the Bar and life at the Inn.
The Inns all offer different awards to pupils, but the following types are available.
- Scholarships for the GDL
- Scholarships for the vocational component
- Pupillage awards
- Assistance if you are a disabled student
- Assistance for work experience opportunities (including international opportunities)
- Essay and mooting prizes
You should check the relevant Inns' website to find out more information about specific scholarships.
- 'The Pupillage Podcast', which focuses on different aspects of the pupillage application process (produced by Middle Temple)
- 'Non-conventional success stories', which highlights the routes taken by various members of the Bar (produced by Lincoln's Inn)
- Videos of Inner Temple's lectures
- Practical guidance for students and pupils on some of the fundamentals of advocacy, as well as written copies of annual lectures (produced by Gray's Inn)
- Inner Temple career brochure
The Inns run events for prospective barristers throughout the year, across England and Wales. Please see each of their calendars for upcoming events and programmes.