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Birgitte Hagem and Victoria Ellis explore the many reasons to retain a close link with your Inn
One of the first steps to becoming a barrister is to decide which Inn of Court to join. In those initial few years as a student, and then as a pupil, whichever Inn you choose holds a central part in your training and qualification. However, once pupils become busy junior practitioners, the role your Inn plays in your life can change considerably; for some it remains important to their lives, a place where they socialise and develop their career; for others it sits quietly in the background, only visited on occasion and playing no real part in your practice.
In this article we explore the reasons why retaining a close link with your Inn can not only assist in developing your career, but also provide support, a sense of community and somewhere you are able to make a real difference.
Birgitte: The support of the Inn throughout my career and the friendships it has given me are just two of the reasons why I feel such a degree of loyalty towards the Inn. However, what prompted my initial engagement and willingness to give up my previous free time was the realisation that the Inn is one of the key entry points to our profession. It can be an absolute pillar of support and make the difference between someone’s motivation to continue on the journey towards pupillage, or to give up. I therefore think it is vital that a wide variety of barristers engage with their Inn to ensure that differing views are represented and that the Inns continue to develop alongside their members.
Victoria: I could not have come to the Bar without the scholarship I received from my Inn. When seeking pupillage, the Inn’s support via CV and interview workshops were invaluable during the early years of practice, as were the friends I made. Knowing that I would not be where I am today without my Inn’s support is one of the many reasons which motivate me to keep involved in the life of the Inn. While I believe it is important to help those who wish to build careers at the Bar, it is equally as important to ensure the Inn is best able to support its current members.
As Chair and Vice Chair of the Gray’s Inn Barrister Committee, we represent the members of hall through the Barrister Committee itself and also on the Inn’s Management Committee. We promote the best interests of members of hall and try to effect changes that will benefit all members, from students through to Benchers. Recently this has included the introduction of a new code of conduct, the celebration of 100 years of women at the Bar, supporting the re-introduction of the ED&I Committee and the introduction of family days at the Inn where members are encouraged to bring their family and children to participate in Easter egg hunts, sports days, Halloween parties and fireworks events.
We also engage with the education department and feel strongly that this is an area where we can give back to the Inn and help support the next generation.
We are both long-standing members of the Inn’s Miscellany which is performed every year at the start of December. It has a large cast and crew made up of members of the Inn from students to senior judges. It is a great opportunity to engage in a very different way with the Inn.
All four Inns are always in need of volunteers to help run events and become involved in their education departments’ training programme. We would encourage anyone interested to contact their Inn and see how they can help. While we all have busy practices, member engagement with the Inn is one of the best traditions of our profession and something to celebrate.
As little or as much as you want. You could offer three nights a year to attend events, talk to students or help run a panel discussion. You could decide to attend the lectures put on or join social events. There are a wide range of opportunities.
One of the most important roles of the Inns is education. For those looking for pupillage there are CV clinics and mock interviews, and opportunities to marshall with senior members of the Inn.
All the Inns run mentoring programmes to provide additional tailored support for barristers at all stages of practice. Middle Temple, for example, is leading the way in ensuring support and practical help for those returning to the bar after a career break.
Advocacy training is relevant at all levels and being part of the Inn community provides the opportunities to continue training and honing our skills as a practitioner. This is similarly true of other skills workshops that take place each year.
Engaging with the Inn also means that you are given the opportunity to meet and work with various senior members of our profession and the judiciary. It gives you a network of people outside of your chambers or employer who are a resource for you to ask questions and advice. It also means that when you go to a formal dinner or lecture you almost always see a familiar face, which has its own quintessential value.
Each Inn runs their own scholarship programme, which are crucial to allowing those who would otherwise be unable to do so to study the graduate diploma in law, Bar training course and/or undertake a pupillage in a predominately legal aid practice. The scholarship programmes protect the future of the profession and ensure that we attract the best and the brightest, whatever their background may be. Every year we sit on the Inn’s scholarship panels, where an impressive array of students unfailingly manage to make us all remember why we became engaged in the Inn in the first place. It is without a doubt a privilege to be involved.
Perhaps one of the most compelling advantages of being involved with the Inn is the sense of community it provides. Not only does it provide excellent networking opportunities but lifelong friendships that last from student to well past retirement.
Victoria: When I first moved to London to study the Bar vocational course (as it then was) I didn’t know anyone, and Gray’s Inn became an important part of my social network, building friendships that last to this day. While the networks you build within your chambers or workplace are also vital, the Inn’s community has been hugely important to me over the years, offering advice and support and also fantastic opportunities to be involved in events.
Birgitte: When I started on the Bar course I knew very little about the profession and had no family or friends who had ever gone down that route. The Bar felt very unfamiliar and quite daunting. I wasn’t sure where to start, but that is where Gray’s afforded me multiple opportunities. I started socialising and working with people who eventually became some of my closest friends at the Bar, while senior members of the Inn gave their time and insight into how the Bar worked. As an employed barrister, it has also given me the opportunity to engage with and gain insight into different areas of practice.
In addition to the usual sports clubs, choirs and drama productions, all Inns offer their own array of activities. Speaking for Gray’s, social events include informative lectures put on by the History Society, Black History Month events, yoga, Eurovision parties and many other enjoyable events.
There is a real push to encourage greater participation from the Circuits and to provide more support and opportunities for members to socialise and attend events outside of London. We have worked towards this and are delighted that Gray’s Inn now has a dedicated Master of Circuits and vibrant communities growing around the country. We are grateful as ever to the Circuit representatives who help make this possible.
So whether you are in London or Leeds, Manchester or Exeter, there is a place for you at your Inn if you wish to take it up and, considering what our involvement has given back to us over the years, we hope you decide to do so.
Victoria Ellis is Vice Chair of the Gray’s Inn Barrister Committee and is a family barrister at Pump Court Chambers.
One of the first steps to becoming a barrister is to decide which Inn of Court to join. In those initial few years as a student, and then as a pupil, whichever Inn you choose holds a central part in your training and qualification. However, once pupils become busy junior practitioners, the role your Inn plays in your life can change considerably; for some it remains important to their lives, a place where they socialise and develop their career; for others it sits quietly in the background, only visited on occasion and playing no real part in your practice.
In this article we explore the reasons why retaining a close link with your Inn can not only assist in developing your career, but also provide support, a sense of community and somewhere you are able to make a real difference.
Birgitte: The support of the Inn throughout my career and the friendships it has given me are just two of the reasons why I feel such a degree of loyalty towards the Inn. However, what prompted my initial engagement and willingness to give up my previous free time was the realisation that the Inn is one of the key entry points to our profession. It can be an absolute pillar of support and make the difference between someone’s motivation to continue on the journey towards pupillage, or to give up. I therefore think it is vital that a wide variety of barristers engage with their Inn to ensure that differing views are represented and that the Inns continue to develop alongside their members.
Victoria: I could not have come to the Bar without the scholarship I received from my Inn. When seeking pupillage, the Inn’s support via CV and interview workshops were invaluable during the early years of practice, as were the friends I made. Knowing that I would not be where I am today without my Inn’s support is one of the many reasons which motivate me to keep involved in the life of the Inn. While I believe it is important to help those who wish to build careers at the Bar, it is equally as important to ensure the Inn is best able to support its current members.
As Chair and Vice Chair of the Gray’s Inn Barrister Committee, we represent the members of hall through the Barrister Committee itself and also on the Inn’s Management Committee. We promote the best interests of members of hall and try to effect changes that will benefit all members, from students through to Benchers. Recently this has included the introduction of a new code of conduct, the celebration of 100 years of women at the Bar, supporting the re-introduction of the ED&I Committee and the introduction of family days at the Inn where members are encouraged to bring their family and children to participate in Easter egg hunts, sports days, Halloween parties and fireworks events.
We also engage with the education department and feel strongly that this is an area where we can give back to the Inn and help support the next generation.
We are both long-standing members of the Inn’s Miscellany which is performed every year at the start of December. It has a large cast and crew made up of members of the Inn from students to senior judges. It is a great opportunity to engage in a very different way with the Inn.
All four Inns are always in need of volunteers to help run events and become involved in their education departments’ training programme. We would encourage anyone interested to contact their Inn and see how they can help. While we all have busy practices, member engagement with the Inn is one of the best traditions of our profession and something to celebrate.
As little or as much as you want. You could offer three nights a year to attend events, talk to students or help run a panel discussion. You could decide to attend the lectures put on or join social events. There are a wide range of opportunities.
One of the most important roles of the Inns is education. For those looking for pupillage there are CV clinics and mock interviews, and opportunities to marshall with senior members of the Inn.
All the Inns run mentoring programmes to provide additional tailored support for barristers at all stages of practice. Middle Temple, for example, is leading the way in ensuring support and practical help for those returning to the bar after a career break.
Advocacy training is relevant at all levels and being part of the Inn community provides the opportunities to continue training and honing our skills as a practitioner. This is similarly true of other skills workshops that take place each year.
Engaging with the Inn also means that you are given the opportunity to meet and work with various senior members of our profession and the judiciary. It gives you a network of people outside of your chambers or employer who are a resource for you to ask questions and advice. It also means that when you go to a formal dinner or lecture you almost always see a familiar face, which has its own quintessential value.
Each Inn runs their own scholarship programme, which are crucial to allowing those who would otherwise be unable to do so to study the graduate diploma in law, Bar training course and/or undertake a pupillage in a predominately legal aid practice. The scholarship programmes protect the future of the profession and ensure that we attract the best and the brightest, whatever their background may be. Every year we sit on the Inn’s scholarship panels, where an impressive array of students unfailingly manage to make us all remember why we became engaged in the Inn in the first place. It is without a doubt a privilege to be involved.
Perhaps one of the most compelling advantages of being involved with the Inn is the sense of community it provides. Not only does it provide excellent networking opportunities but lifelong friendships that last from student to well past retirement.
Victoria: When I first moved to London to study the Bar vocational course (as it then was) I didn’t know anyone, and Gray’s Inn became an important part of my social network, building friendships that last to this day. While the networks you build within your chambers or workplace are also vital, the Inn’s community has been hugely important to me over the years, offering advice and support and also fantastic opportunities to be involved in events.
Birgitte: When I started on the Bar course I knew very little about the profession and had no family or friends who had ever gone down that route. The Bar felt very unfamiliar and quite daunting. I wasn’t sure where to start, but that is where Gray’s afforded me multiple opportunities. I started socialising and working with people who eventually became some of my closest friends at the Bar, while senior members of the Inn gave their time and insight into how the Bar worked. As an employed barrister, it has also given me the opportunity to engage with and gain insight into different areas of practice.
In addition to the usual sports clubs, choirs and drama productions, all Inns offer their own array of activities. Speaking for Gray’s, social events include informative lectures put on by the History Society, Black History Month events, yoga, Eurovision parties and many other enjoyable events.
There is a real push to encourage greater participation from the Circuits and to provide more support and opportunities for members to socialise and attend events outside of London. We have worked towards this and are delighted that Gray’s Inn now has a dedicated Master of Circuits and vibrant communities growing around the country. We are grateful as ever to the Circuit representatives who help make this possible.
So whether you are in London or Leeds, Manchester or Exeter, there is a place for you at your Inn if you wish to take it up and, considering what our involvement has given back to us over the years, we hope you decide to do so.
Birgitte Hagem and Victoria Ellis explore the many reasons to retain a close link with your Inn
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