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I did not grow up in a family of lawyers, and will admit that the first time I walked down the cobbled streets of my Inn, I found it rather daunting. I felt like I was on a film set and that I’d stumbled back in time. I couldn’t have felt more out of step with my surroundings if I had crash-landed on the moon. However, after attending sessions and throwing myself into life at the Inn, I quickly realised that it really was my Domus, my professional home, and the more I interacted with my Inn, the more it became my first port of call for support, assistance and guidance.
You literally cannot go wrong when choosing your Inn of Court; they are all bursting with resources, networking opportunities and support. To make sure you get the most out of your student experience with your Inn of Court, here are my top five tips below:
Each Inn of Court runs its own qualifying sessions, where you will have the opportunity to attend a series of lectures and workshops, alongside dinners and other social events. These offer not only the chance to develop your skillset outside of the university classroom, but the opportunity to learn from experienced practitioners. Take every chance to learn from these practitioners, who have kindly volunteered their time and experience to support your training.
Wherever you can, attend in person, as the best advice can come through chatting over a coffee after the event itself.
Don’t limit yourself to just qualifying sessions – and while I’m at it, don’t limit yourself to the minimum number of qualifying sessions offered. It might be easy to think of the qualifying sessions as a tick-box exercise, but if you embrace each opportunity, and pick additional sessions that really pique your interest, you will find many more benefits. You should also see what you can do alongside your Inn that branches outside the typical qualifying session programme. For example, when I was a student at Middle Temple I thoroughly enjoyed volunteering as a witness for the New Practitioners Programme and acting as a student ‘guinea pig’ for Training the Trainers sessions – both are great ways to interact with different members of the Inn and gain valuable, personalised feedback.
Always keep an eye on your Inn’s website to see how you can get involved. Each Inn has their own student association which is elected each year; information about each committee is available on each Inn’s website, and you should keep an eye out for when to apply. I will always be grateful for my time in my Inn’s student association, from the wonderful friendships formed, mentors made and lessons learnt. It was such a great privilege. Through the student association, you will have the opportunity to sit on internal committees, represent the Inn at various events and run sessions to support your own cohort in their training (and of course, hold some socials along the way!). Even if you don’t want to run for a position in your Inn’s student association, make sure to follow their social media for all updates.
Beyond student associations, you can stand as your Bar course or Circuit student representative and be the voice for students in your area. The Inns also host various societies like Revels at Middle, the Drama Society at Inner, Miscellany at Gray’s, and the European Law Group at Lincoln’s. Each Inn has its own LGBTQIA+, historical and international societies, providing great ways to connect based on your interests.
The Inns provide some of the best CV builders. They offer mooting opportunities through both internal and external competitions where you can represent your Inn. If you represent your Inn, you may get the chance to have coaching from senior members or even represent your Inn internationally. Make sure to check out the all the Inns’ websites to see what you are eligible for – some are open to members of all Inns, while others are exclusive to members. Your Inn may also hold or promote external essay competitions which are a great way of expanding your knowledge in a pertinent legal area.
Each Inn provides well in excess of £1 million a year in scholarships for the Bar course, but it doesn’t stop there. There are scholarships for the GDL, pupillage support grants and even scholarships to send you overseas on placements. I feel incredibly lucky to have received the support I have from my Inn. It has built my confidence and also allowed me more financial freedom to focus on my studies. I particularly encourage students to apply for the international scholarships; my time in Canada on the Harold G Fox Scholarship has been invaluable.
The Inns branch out beyond financial support. They are at the forefront of pushing for diversity at the Bar, and long gone are the days where ‘wellbeing’ was a taboo word! As I described above, the legal world can be daunting. Some of the Inns offer counselling services to student members and all the Inns support a Pupillage Wellbeing Assistance Programme for members who have completed the Bar training course but not yet commenced pupillage. Each Inn has their own style of mentoring scheme to support you through the process, although they fall under different names. I encourage you to look into your own Inn’s scheme and apply for an informal mentor. Each Inn also maintains a noticeboard on their website that advertises various scholarships, roles and announcements for their members; these are a great way to keep up to date and guide you towards the best opportunities.
Embrace every experience ahead of you. Do your best to speak to everyone at events, be the first to put your hand up when opportunities arise and sign up to everything you can – if you do that, you can’t go wrong.
Skye Blackshaw is in her second term as President of the Middle Temple Young Barristers’ Association and the former President of the Middle Temple Students’ Association. She won the Lloyd Jacob Memorial Award in 2023 for her work in the Students’ Association. Skye spent 10 months in Canada as a recipient of the Harold G Fox Scholarship and is embarking on a year as a Judicial Assistant at the Court of Appeal of England and Wales.
I did not grow up in a family of lawyers, and will admit that the first time I walked down the cobbled streets of my Inn, I found it rather daunting. I felt like I was on a film set and that I’d stumbled back in time. I couldn’t have felt more out of step with my surroundings if I had crash-landed on the moon. However, after attending sessions and throwing myself into life at the Inn, I quickly realised that it really was my Domus, my professional home, and the more I interacted with my Inn, the more it became my first port of call for support, assistance and guidance.
You literally cannot go wrong when choosing your Inn of Court; they are all bursting with resources, networking opportunities and support. To make sure you get the most out of your student experience with your Inn of Court, here are my top five tips below:
Each Inn of Court runs its own qualifying sessions, where you will have the opportunity to attend a series of lectures and workshops, alongside dinners and other social events. These offer not only the chance to develop your skillset outside of the university classroom, but the opportunity to learn from experienced practitioners. Take every chance to learn from these practitioners, who have kindly volunteered their time and experience to support your training.
Wherever you can, attend in person, as the best advice can come through chatting over a coffee after the event itself.
Don’t limit yourself to just qualifying sessions – and while I’m at it, don’t limit yourself to the minimum number of qualifying sessions offered. It might be easy to think of the qualifying sessions as a tick-box exercise, but if you embrace each opportunity, and pick additional sessions that really pique your interest, you will find many more benefits. You should also see what you can do alongside your Inn that branches outside the typical qualifying session programme. For example, when I was a student at Middle Temple I thoroughly enjoyed volunteering as a witness for the New Practitioners Programme and acting as a student ‘guinea pig’ for Training the Trainers sessions – both are great ways to interact with different members of the Inn and gain valuable, personalised feedback.
Always keep an eye on your Inn’s website to see how you can get involved. Each Inn has their own student association which is elected each year; information about each committee is available on each Inn’s website, and you should keep an eye out for when to apply. I will always be grateful for my time in my Inn’s student association, from the wonderful friendships formed, mentors made and lessons learnt. It was such a great privilege. Through the student association, you will have the opportunity to sit on internal committees, represent the Inn at various events and run sessions to support your own cohort in their training (and of course, hold some socials along the way!). Even if you don’t want to run for a position in your Inn’s student association, make sure to follow their social media for all updates.
Beyond student associations, you can stand as your Bar course or Circuit student representative and be the voice for students in your area. The Inns also host various societies like Revels at Middle, the Drama Society at Inner, Miscellany at Gray’s, and the European Law Group at Lincoln’s. Each Inn has its own LGBTQIA+, historical and international societies, providing great ways to connect based on your interests.
The Inns provide some of the best CV builders. They offer mooting opportunities through both internal and external competitions where you can represent your Inn. If you represent your Inn, you may get the chance to have coaching from senior members or even represent your Inn internationally. Make sure to check out the all the Inns’ websites to see what you are eligible for – some are open to members of all Inns, while others are exclusive to members. Your Inn may also hold or promote external essay competitions which are a great way of expanding your knowledge in a pertinent legal area.
Each Inn provides well in excess of £1 million a year in scholarships for the Bar course, but it doesn’t stop there. There are scholarships for the GDL, pupillage support grants and even scholarships to send you overseas on placements. I feel incredibly lucky to have received the support I have from my Inn. It has built my confidence and also allowed me more financial freedom to focus on my studies. I particularly encourage students to apply for the international scholarships; my time in Canada on the Harold G Fox Scholarship has been invaluable.
The Inns branch out beyond financial support. They are at the forefront of pushing for diversity at the Bar, and long gone are the days where ‘wellbeing’ was a taboo word! As I described above, the legal world can be daunting. Some of the Inns offer counselling services to student members and all the Inns support a Pupillage Wellbeing Assistance Programme for members who have completed the Bar training course but not yet commenced pupillage. Each Inn has their own style of mentoring scheme to support you through the process, although they fall under different names. I encourage you to look into your own Inn’s scheme and apply for an informal mentor. Each Inn also maintains a noticeboard on their website that advertises various scholarships, roles and announcements for their members; these are a great way to keep up to date and guide you towards the best opportunities.
Embrace every experience ahead of you. Do your best to speak to everyone at events, be the first to put your hand up when opportunities arise and sign up to everything you can – if you do that, you can’t go wrong.
The Chair of the Bar reports back
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, explains how global events can influence the performance of pensions and ISAs, and why taking a long-term approach to investing is often the most effective strategy
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, discusses what family law professionals need to know about hallucinogens, from the main hallucinogenic drugs encountered in family proceedings, to their effects and the testing options available
Harmony Christian Ministries is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
By David Green
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, examines the forensic science underpinning hair drug testing, its evidential scope and limitations, and why it remains the gold standard for evidencing patterns of drug use in family proceedings
Developing a tech start-up demands a different definition of excellence to the Bar, says Saara Idelbi. The co-creator of Advocatr on entrepreneurship, AI advocacy training, and matching the thrill of a killer cross-examination
At the start of her term, Chair of the Bar 2026 Kirsty Brimelow KC set out a series of priorities for the year ahead. One of those priorities was children in the justice system
As the world becomes more digital, Barbara Vinagre Mota examines international research into the mental health consequences of judges’ exposure to graphic and immersive evidence, highlighting the importance of support systems
Reviewed by Daniel Barnett
James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain until 27 September Rothko in Florence at Palazzo Strozzi until 23 August Reviewed by Stephen Cragg KC
