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 holds University Advocacy Days several times a year. The event offers university students the opportunity to meet and listen to what leading barristers say are the key elements of good advocacy; to participate in a facilitated ethics discussion and get on your feet and perform some advocacy, under the guidance of advocacy trainers. The day also includes a scholarships Q&A hosted by the scholarships committee and recent Gray’s Inn scholars.
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.
The Inn also hosts a series of Insight events around England and Wales and online. These events will give an insight into the profession. You can hear from practising barristers and judges about their path to the bar and join us for a networking reception afterwards, where you can interact with barristers, judges and staff from the Education and Training department. It is an opportunity for university students, graduates and career changers to ask questions and learn more about their prospective careers.
The In Focus series aims to have open and frank discussions with members and prospective barristers about issues that underrepresented groups in the profession may face and to discuss the progress being made and the distance to go. The format of the event is a roundtable to encourage discussion in a safe space. Previous topics have included Being LGBT+ at the Bar and Disability at the Bar. To find out about the full Inner Temple outreach offer for students and graduates visit their website.
The Inn provides many opportunities for prospective barristers to visit the Inn, and to meet practising Barristers. Our key events for university students are our Information Afternoon and Dinners which take place during Spring. Students from all universities will get to hear talks on the employed and self-employed bar before dining in the Great Hall, alongside Benchers and Barristers of the Inn. The Inn also hosts InnSight sessions both in person and online as well as events at universities for law faculty and student societies around the country. These aim to demystify the process of training for the Bar and help students plan how to realistically achieve their ambition of being called to the Bar.
Lincoln’s Inn also offers financial support for students. The recently launched Mini Pupillage Grant Scheme offers financial support to students wishing to undertake mini pupillages who would otherwise not be able to do so. Grants are intended to assist with the costs of travel and accommodation as well as a clothing allowance if needed. Funding for Student societies is also available twice a year to assist with Barrister related projects, events and initiatives.
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 eight students are selected to receive a Neuberger Prize, which includes funding of £250, a summer school at the Inn, a mentor for the winner third year at university and a mini 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 - Gray's Inn, Inner Temple, Lincoln's Inn and Middle Temple - to find out more information about specific scholarships.
The Inns run events for prospective barristers throughout the year. Please see their calendars for upcoming events and programmes.
- '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.