The Inner Temple is one of the four Inns of Court offering training and support to students preparing to be barristers. The National Education Trust (NET) is an independent foundation dedicated to improving the quality of education nationwide and working to help close the achievement gap. We have joined forces on a project to promote aspiration to the Bar amongst school students.
The Bar Council, the representative body for barristers, is acutely aware that the profession can only flourish and retain public confidence if it is diverse and inclusive. It is therefore committed to ensuring that the profession is open to able candidates irrespective of their social, economical or educational background.
The Bar Council recently published a series of recommendations relating to what can be done to introduce the idea of working as a barrister more widely to students: "The aim of targeting school students at an early stage is to counterbalance the undeniable fact that, by the time most have completed their GCSEs and chosen their A-levels, many are at a very significant disadvantage. That disadvantage is that they have never encountered the Bar in any social or educational context whatever, let alone considered it as a possible career option."
First Event: Thursday 26th June 2008 - A meeting with staff from a wide range of schools, particularly those involved in advising students on GCSE / A-level options and career choices, to exchange ideas on:
Promoting aspiration to the Bar within schools
How the Inner Temple and NET can help
Second Event: Friday 14th November 2008 - Day for students in Years 12 and 13 who were identified as being interested in, and potentially capable of a career as a barrister. The seminar included talks on practical issues related to training for the Bar (what to study, funding, extra-curricular activities etc) from practising barristers, opportunities for discussion, a tour of the Inn and the opportunity for students to present a plea in mitigation.
Third Event: Held at the Inner Temple on Wednesday January 28th 2009, for students from three schools: Greenford High, Thomas Tallis and Slough Grammar.
Fourth event 29th April: The morning consisted of a rotation of three activity sessions at the Inner Temple followed by lunch in hall at the Inner Temple. The afternoon included a tour of the Royal Courts of Justice. The students then watched a court case (public gallery) at the Royal Courts of Justice.
For further information, contact Mizna Quraishi, Trust Office Manager
Email
"Lawyers I suppose were children once... " Charles Lamb, English essayist, born in Inner Temple, London, 1775
