Durham Law Students Represent Law School at Inner Temple’s Dinner to the Universities

The evening began with a panel discussion featuring Master Simon Heptonstall; a senior judge, Dilnaaz Kazi; a barrister for the Government Legal Department, Liam Hunter; a barrister for the Crown Prosecution Service, and Beth Payne; a family barrister at Coram Chambers. The panel explored topics including their various journeys to the Bar, the differences between the self-employed and employed Bar, and concluded with an engaging Q&A session. Students asked questions on issues such as the role of AI in the legal profession, the speakers’ motivations for joining Inner Temple, and the scholarship process.

Following the panel, students attended a drinks reception where they had the opportunity to network with Inner Temple’s benchers, judges, and barristers, as well as fellow students. During this time, Annabelle and Kyle spoke with commercial barristers from Three Stone, and Hogarth Chambers, gaining valuable insight into the roles and responsibilities of barristers working on insolvency and intellectual property matters.

The evening concluded with a three-course dinner in Inner Temple’s dining hall, where students were seated alongside judges and practicing barristers, allowing further opportunities for discussion and networking.

On this, Annabelle said:

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Inner Temple, where I was seated next to a Bencher who spoke about his journey from the Criminal Bar to becoming a distinguished public and human rights law barrister, whilst also accepting commercial instructions. This was particularly valuable to hear as it illustrated the breadth of legal practice, and strengthened my interest in public law and human rights.

Dessert was marked by an engaging discussion with a Circuit Judge. Learning about advocacy from this perspective offered a fascinating insight into the craft of advocacy from the other side of the courtroom.”

Kyle said:

“I found the evening to be both engaging and insightful, particularly in the perspective it offered on pathways to the Bar. I had the pleasure of being seated next to a senior member of the judiciary who spoke about his experience with unpaid pupillages before entering family law and the different workloads that advocates and judges face. Hearing how his ambitions for company law changed over time was illuminating, and his reaffirmation of previous advice to ‘take the scenic route’ to the Bar was especially valuable.

At dessert, I had the privilege to speak with a Director of the Government Legal Department’s Commercial with Trade and International Group. I was fascinated by her work at the employed commercial bar, and learned just how effectively the skills developed at both the employed and self-employed Bar complement one another. Her advice on watching cases at the Companies Court and on scholarship preparation was also greatly beneficial.”

Annabelle and Kyle extend their sincere thanks to Inner Temple for the opportunity, and to all those involved in organising the event, including the judges and members of chambers who attended. It was an excellently organised evening that helped to clarify many of the questions both students had about their respective aspirations for a career at the Bar.

Notes:

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