Raising the Bar

In part two of this two-part series, Finnian, Ava and I are joined by Joe Tarbert: the Head of Programmes at a criminal justice charity known as Standout. Join us to continue the conversation about prisoner rehabilitation and the criminal justice system.    If you would like to get involved with StandOut, you can sign up to volunteer at Volunteer — StandOut. You can also get in touch by sending any inquiries to: info@standout.org.uk

In part one of this two-part series, tune in to hear about Vocalise: a student-led prison debating initiative that was founded in 2010 by two members of Gray's Inn. In this episode, I speak with two of the current co-directors, Ava Chowdhury-Turner and Finnean Robinson. Join us to learn about Vocalise through their reflections and experiences! If you are interested in getting involved with Vocalise, you can register your interest at https://www.graysinn.org.uk/education/students/career-development/vocalise/ You can also get in touch by sending any inquiries to: info@vocalise.org.uk

Welcome to Raising the Bar! My name is Hafsa, and in this two-part series, I will introduce you to your representatives on the 2024-2025 AGIS committee. Join me in Part 2 as I speak to Molly, Thomas, Ewan and Tanya, and learn more about their experiences as Bar students. You will find out about how you can get involved with Gray's Inn: from participating in moots to joining the AGIS Run Club.  We also want to hear from you! Please get in touch through the AGIS social media or via email at agis@graysinn.org.uk.

Welcome to Raising the Bar! My name is Hafsa, and in this two-part series, I will introduce you to your representatives on the 2024-2025 AGIS committee. Join me in Part 1 as I speak to Jennifer, Funmi, David and Kamilla, and learn more about their experiences as Bar students. You will find out about how you can get involved with Gray's Inn: from writing for the AGIS Law Journal to an exciting partnership with Tutor the Nation.  We also want to hear from you! Please get in touch through the AGIS social media or via email at agis@graysinn.org.uk.

Thinking of changing careers and coming to the Bar? This episode is a must-listen for anyone thinking of retraining as a barrister. In this episode, I speak with barrister Nicola Sully who has a common law practice, about her journey to the Bar as a career-changer.  We discuss transferable skills, how to challenge assumptions, to articulate your motivation for changing careers and to demonstrate your professional compatibility with your target chambers.  Listen in for tips on how to overcome limiting beliefs, recognise the opportunities that your previous career offers and tackle pupillage applications to achieve success at the Bar as a career changer.

Applying for a GDL scholarship? Tommy, a GDL scholar, discusses how he approached his GDL interview and prepared to demonstrate his advocacy, drive and determination, problem solving skills and motivation to succeed to the panel.

Interested in getting published? The Gray's Inn Student Law Journal is an ideal way for students to engage academically with the law, learn about legal writing and get published. It's an inclusive publication with support available for first-time legal commentators. In this episode, Nora speaks to Hazel Bannerman, editor of the Student Law Journal, to discuss how you can begin your legal writing career. Find out more on how you can contribute: Call for Papers - Student Law Journal - graysinn.org.uk

If you're preparing for a scholarship interview, you won't want to miss this episode!  Hear from Christian, a residential scholar, on how he prepared for his Gray's Inn Bar Course Scholarship interview and secured one of the coveted Residential Scholarships. Gray's Inn awards at least £1.4 million in scholarships each year. In 2024, the Inn intends to award at least 85 Bar Course Scholarships to support students undertaking the Bar Course. Gray's Inn also offers residential scholarships that enable students to live at the Inn while they study the Bar Course. Applicants shortlisted for a Bar Course scholarship interview will be interviewed this March. The next application period for Bar Course Scholarships will open in September 2024. Find out more about Gray's Inn scholarships.

"Show, don't tell" is just one of the many tips for applicants preparing for Gray's Inn Bar scholarship interviews in Episode 1, Season 5 of Raising the Bar. Gray's Inn students Matty, CK, Ioanna and podcast host Nora Nanayakkara discuss how they prepared for scholarship interviews, approached the legal topic interview exercise and answered the dreaded question, "Why do you want to be a barrister?" Don't miss future episodes, which feature more advice and insights from Gray's Inn scholars, students and members to help you on your journey to the Bar.   

In this episode Niamh explores the area of Arbitration from a students perspective. The discussion covers and introduction to Arbitration, the Gray's Inn International Arbitration course and the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. Niamh is joined by Nia a previous attendee of the Gray's Inn course who also went on to compete in the Vis Moot. This episode was recorded in advance of the Introduction to International Arbitration Open Evening on 27th July 2023. Find out more via the Gray's Inn website. 

In this episode, Niamh talks to previous AGIS Mooting Officer Samuel Moss, to provide an in-depth insight into the world of mooting. The conversation covers what mooting is and why it is viewed as such important experience for aspiring barristers. AGIS offers students a plethora of opportunities to represent the Inn at national and international competitions over each academic year and Samuel offers his top tips to students on how to get started and how to be a successful. 

In this episode, Niamh is joined by Charlotte Ward, who offers her perspective on the journey to the bar when transitioning from a different career. Charlotte is a current Bar Course student who has successfully changed careers after years of working in the Finance industry. As a future pupil barrister Charlotte discusses her experiences in returning to education to undertake the GDL, the process of obtaining pupillage, and both why and how she changed careers to become a barrister. 

This episode offers advice and insight into the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) for students who have studied a non-law undergraduate degree and want to pursue a career in law.  In this conversation, Niamh is joined with Nicholas Zeolla, to discuss his pursuit of a career at the Bar from a History degree. Nicholas is a current Bar Course student and is due to commence Pupillage in 2023. As the current AGIS President Nicholas also shares insights on how the Inns of Court are there to support students becoming barristers through scholarships and other opportunities.  

This second instalment of the Raising the Bar - A Students Guide, is hosted by Ciara Church and guest Zoe Chan.  Zoe is a Gray's Inn Scholar and aspiring barrister wishing to pursue the law of Human Rights and Civil Liberties.   This discussion provides a student's perspective of inclusivity and having a disability at the bar. Zoe talks about her involvement in the particular initiative of ‘Bringing [Dis]Ability to the Bar'.

This conversation marks the first episode of the new ‘A Student's Guide' series on the Raising the Bar Podcast where we will discuss topics relevant to current and aspiring bar course students. This episode is hosted by Ciara Church with guest Kelly Yu. Kelly was the AGIS treasurer from 2021-2022 and is a Gray's Inn scholarship recipient. Kelly came to the UK for university, from Hong Kong and studied English before transferring to Law. In this episode Ciara and Kelly discuss the different bar course providers, their journeys to the bar, and the lessons they've learnt along the way.

Working from home, online mediation, nett zero disputes, paperless practicing, the Greener Pledge - the pandemic has highlighted many of these issues and had been a period of reflection for many. How does the charge to nett zero affect how we practice, how do we enforce this in different jurisdictions, what is sustainability at the Bar? In this episode Ciara discusses all this and more with Marion Smith QC and Annie Mackley.   Resources on climate litigation  UNEP Global Climate Litigation Report 2020: Global Climate Litigation Report: 2020 Status Review | UNEP - UN Environment Programme Sabin Centre for Climate Change Litigation: https://climate.law.columbia.edu/  Judgment of the District Court of the Hague in Milieudefensie e.a v Royal Dutch Shell: https://uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl/inziendocument?id=ECLI:NL:RBDHA:2021:5339  ICC Commission Report: Resolving Climate Change Related Disputes through Arbitration and ADR: Resolving Climate Change Related Disputes through Arbitration and ADR (iccwbo.org)  Resources on sustainability at the Bar  Greener Arbitrations: https://www.greenerarbitrations.com/ Net Zero Lawyers' Alliance: https://netzerolawyers.com/ The Mediator's Green Pledge: https://imimediation.org/2020/10/21/the-mediators-green-pledge/ The Chancery Lane Project: The Chancery Lane Project Bar Sustainability Network: Bar Sustainability Network (barcouncil.org.uk) 

In this episode, Ciara chats to the original podcast host ,Alana Hughes, about her new tenancy, family law, the differences between being a pupil versus a tenant at a chambers, the impact of the pandemic on her new practice and so much more.  

After a break we are back with our interesting podcast series hosted by AGIS. This episode is a first for the Raising the Bar Podcast as Alana Hughes, our guest host for the segment “Meet the Barrister”, chats to His Honour Judge Aubrey QC. Judge Aubrey was the first in his extended family to attend university after attending a state grammar school. He obtained pupillage and tenancy in Liverpool and after 20 years at the Junior Bar he decided to take Silk. He has been a Northern circuit judge since 2005. Alana speaks to Judge Aubrey about his path to the Bar, the decision to change career from being a barrister to a Judge and his experiences as a Judge and so much more.   (This episode was recorded remotely in April 2020)

The Pupillage Gateway opens for submissions on 5 January 2022 - a process fraught with tension and anxiety for most students for weeks as applications are prepared, rewritten and finally submitted. What transferable skills can you include, how should you include them,  what can you do to make your application stand out. In this episode our new AGIS host Ciara Church, chats to Ayanna Nelson about her experiences and tips and suggestions on the application process. Tune in to find out more.

Becoming a self-employed Barrister is an exciting part of the journey. What many new barristers aren't always sure of is how to manage their finances at this point. In this episode Nia chats to Alex Friede, an accountant who advises self-employed professionals and small businesses on their tax, accountancy, and financial management affairs. He is a specialist in the affairs of barristers, and his portfolio currently includes over two hundred practitioners. Tune in as he shares some tips on how to best tackle the money side of your new practice.

Pupillage marks the start of a new phase in your path to the Bar. After the months of preparation, applications, grueling interviews and stressful waits for outcomes you may be considering what lies ahead. In this episode Nia chats to Alana Hughes about the transition from student to pupil barrister. Alana shares her experiences, the expectations versus reality and how the pandemic impacted her pupillage and what support the Inn offers to pupil barristers.

In this episode we chat to Elena Johnson, a past publicity officer of the Association of Gray's Inn Students (AGIS) and podcast host of Raising the Bar 2019-2020. Picking yourself up after pupillage rejections is a tough part of the journey to becoming a barrister. Elena did not manage to get pupillage first time round and tells Nia what she did in the year thereafter and how it helped her secure pupillage. She also shares some tips on pupillage applications and the skills she picked up in her "gap year". 

Are you starting the Bar course soon and started wondering what it will be like? What the workload will be? Which books you must buy? Will you have time to see you family and friends or have a part time job? What extracurricular activities should you consider? In this episode our host Nia Marshall and Bar Course student Roseanna Cawthray-Stern, the ULaw (London) representative on the AGIS committee, talk about their experiences, share their tips and tell you how they managed, especially during lockdown.

In this episode Elena Johnson is back in the host seat for a discussion with Jo Robinson (Council of the Inns of Court), Julie Carruth (Bar Standards Board), and Tony Charles (Director of Education). The topic is qualifying sessions as Jo, Julie and Tony explain why students undertake qualifying sessions, how they impact being called to the Bar, how they are quality assured and more.

In this episode, guest host Alana Hughes, chats to Nancy Williams. Nancy specialises in three main practice areas: civil litigation, crime and family. She is on of the Bar Council's Social Mobility Advocates and is the Vice Chair of the Gray's Inn Schools Outreach Programme.  

In this episode Nia speaks to Richard Atkins QC, Head of Chambers at St Philips Chambers in Birmingham, a respected criminal barrister and Court Recorder about his experiences over the past 12 months with remote hearings, adapting and adopting technology to keep things going despite lockdown. Richard speaks about the different solutions, considerations and more when moving criminal jury cases online.

This week's guest Frederico Singarajah, is recognised in the International Arbitration Powerlist by Legal 500 and Whoswholegal, amongst the most experienced and notable international arbitration practitioners at the English bar. Together with fellow Gray's Inn member, Marion Smith QC, Frederico has been part of the team who introduced the arbitration course and  VisMoot training at Gray's Inn. Nia chats to Frederico about his path the Bar, his passion for arbitration and what the VisMoot is all about.

What was it like being a gay man and being called to the Bar in 1989 amidst the HIV crisis and the controversial Section 28 Act of 1988? Guest host, Alana Hughes chats to Barrister Gerald Wilson about his experiences and just how far have we come since then.

In this episode Nia Marshall chats to Mareen Mahmood and Feleena Grosvenor. Both students come from a "non-traditional" background, have experienced challenges with their A-levels or schooling, suffer periodically from "imposter syndrome" and wouldn't describe themselves as the "typical" law student candidate.  Despite this both Mareen and Feleena were awarded scholarships from Gray's Inn and are successfully pursuing a career at the Bar. Their message is loud and clear - ANYONE can pursue a career at the Bar. Tune in to hear more about their journey to the Bar and how they have overcome any hurdles along the way.

Everything you wanted to know and more about the 2020/1 AGIS President. In this episode Nia chats to fellow AGIS Committee member and President about Gray's Inn, the law, Covid, his role as AGIS president and more.

Wondering how to balance parenting or caring responsibilities while at the Bar or considering going to the Bar late in life as a second career? If you are considering a change in career and have parenting or caring responsibilities this is an episode for you. Mary Prior QC speaks to Meredoc McGinn, Georgina Barney and Charlotte Bull about their decision to join the Bar, how to navigated the difficult route to pupillage and then on to tenancy whilst juggling parenting responsibilities.  

Who is the Master of Students?  Elena speaks to the Hon. Mr Justice Fordham about his path to the Bar, what spurred him on to pursue the Bar and his experience as a student himself and the help he received from members of the Inn. Mr Justice Fordham also shares his thoughts on the Inn and the and the circle of membership. Tune in to hear this and more, as well as a few tips for students studying for the Bar during these strange times. 

Have you ever considered being a Barrister and working in the Army? Do you know what it is like to be an employed rather than self employed Barrister? How does being a self employed Barrister differ? Tune in as Alana find out this and more in her chat with Captain Sarah Gerrard about her path to the Bar and life as a Barrister in the armed forces.

In this episode our new AGIS Publicity Officer and podcast host, Nia Marshall, speaks to Oliver May and Jack Boswell about their new initiative – Neurodiversity in Law. It seems that around 15% of society have some form of hidden attribute under the umbrella of neurodivergence. Nia finds out more about what it means, how to manage it and how the new group can assist. For more information have a look at their website www.neurodiversityinlaw  

2020 has not turned out to be the glowing start to a new decade that we had hoped, and for those starting pupillage or becoming a junior tenant it has been a very different experience from the one their colleagues and mentors have experienced. So just exactly what has it been like? Alana chats to Joe Tarbert and Fazeela Ishmael about their experiences of 2nd sixth and starting tenancy during Covid-19.

Do you love the law and the sea, or more specifically, the Navy, and wondered how you could combine the two? What does a Military Law Barrister do and how does one become one? In this episode Alana speaks to John-Paul Fitzgibbon who spent 13 years in the navy as a Warfare Officer, navigated ships in the Carribean and more about his career in the Navy and how he came to The Bar while in the Navy. Tune in to hear about a very different path to The Bar.

Scholarships – always a burning question for students looking to join the Bar. In this episode Elena speaks to David Forsdick QC, Chair of the Gray's Inn Scholarships Committee and Tony Charles, Director of Education at Gray's Inn. How important is academic background?  What does a good scholarship application look like? What are the chances of being awarded a Gray's Inn Scholarship? How important is the application form? Have you heard about the Gray's Inn Residential Scholarships? Who sits on the interview panel? Tune in for the answers to these and other questions about the Gray's Inn Scholarships. More information can be found on the website https://www.graysinn.org.uk/scholarships

In this episode Alana chats to Mary Prior QC, an advocate for social mobility and diversity at the Bar, about her practice in homicide and serious sexual offences and her journey to the Bar. Find out why Mary believes law is a marathon not a sprint and  what you can do to help yourself in this exciting journey.

Pupillage – a nerve wrecking journey that can sometimes take years. In this episode Alana chats to Markus Findlay  and Oliver Haswell. Markus was recently been offered pupillage after 5 five years, and explains how having a Gray's Inn mentor – Oliver Haswell – has been instrumental in his success. Oliver speaks of the benefits of both being a mentor and having a mentee. Inspiring listening if you are looking for pupillage in these challenging times.

In this episode Alana Hughes chats to Family Law Barrister Prudence Beaumont in Manchester. Despite a keen interest in the law Prudence did a Masters in Education before pursuing a career at the Bar. Find out why Prudence chose this route and what transferable skills she gained from her experiences.

Laurence Cooper's ideas on how he imagined Gray's Inn to be like were largely as a result of a certificate which included the words “To the degree of an utter barrister” on the wall of his late fathers study.  In this episode Elena chats to Laurence, a future pupil, about what Gray's Inn is actually like (from his perspective of course!), how the Inn has changed and modernised over time, and how it has been using technology to continue to serve it's members in the current circumstances.

In this installment of our "Meet the Barrister" series,  Alana Hughes speaks to Zehrah Hasan on her path to the Bar. Zehrah was awarded various scholarships from Grays Inn and has previously worked at a number of non-profit organisations, including Liberty and Southall Black Sisters. She has given oral evidence in Parliament as an expert witness and briefed the Joint Committee on Human Rights among other things. She is a pupil at Garden Court Chambers and currently sits on the Executive Committee of the Human Rights' Lawyers Association. Tune in to hear about her interesting journey so far.

After the stressful and exhausting process of applying for pupillage, prepping for interviews, first round interviews and perhaps even second round interviews, you receive the dreaded email and find yourself disappointed and low. How do you pick yourself up and what do you do next? In this episode we chat to Angharad Marshall about how she dealt with the blow of not getting pupillage two years in a row, and what she did until she obtained pupillage. Angharad shares valuable insights and tips and explains why, despite the heavy disappointment she felt initially, she was better prepared third time around. 

In this episode Elena records her first remote podcast and chats to Vicky Wilson and Steve Innes on dealing with rejection, with a focus on pupillage application rejections.   Our guests discuss strategies to use going forward, share some pointers on how to make the best of a bad situation and tips on how to improve your resilience and manage your stress during this grueling process.

In this episode Alana Hughes, our guest host, chats to Professor Mark Engelman about his route to the Bar.  Mark specialises in Intellectual Property Law and has worked with some impressive clients and is renowned for his legal knowledge in this area. His career did not, however, start in law. Mark studied  Pharmacology at University and began his career as a Lab Technician at a NHS Hospital in London. Tune in to hear his interesting journey, and how IP barristers have the upper hand on paperless practice!

It is with a heavy heart that Gray's Inn will shortly be saying farewell to Director of Education, Quinn Clarke. We decided to get Alana Hughes to chat with Quinn about her time at the Inn (16 years!), the changes she has seen and her plans for the future (although some what in the air with the current situation!). Tune in and find out what Quinn had to say. 

We are in living in strange times and are having to adept to a different way of working and living for the time being. A few weeks ago Elena chatted to Barrister Saara Idelbi who has successfully been following a paperless practice for a while now.  Tune in to find out how Saara started, how she got used to electronic bundles, which apps to consider when editing your paper bundles and more.

In this episode current AGIS president and residential scholar, Harry Samuels, discusses GDL scholarships and his experiences with applying for scholarships at Gray's Inn. With the GDL scholarship application window having opened yesterday, this is well worth listening to! For more information on our scholarships visit: https://www.graysinn.org.uk/scholarships

If your brain is your business as a Barrister how do you safe guard it? In this episode Elena chats to Amy Oliver about the particular challenges facing Barristers and how you can look after your mental health to enable you to be the best you can be as a Barrister.    More information and advice available here https://www.wellbeingatthebar.org.uk/

In this episode Elena chats to Joel Semakula about tackling Pupillage Interviews. Joel made the reserve list seven times over 2 rounds of pupillage interviews before being offered pupillage third time round with his very first application. Are they different from other interviews? Is there a difference between 1st round and 2nd round interviews and the questions asked? How can spreadsheets help? When should you start preparing? Joel shares his experiences, thoughts and tips.

How does one go from being a probation and aftercare officer in Jamaica, spend 6 years as a professional contemporary ballet dancer and end up as a specialist family law barrister? Guest interviewer, Alana Hughes interviews Barrister Kevin Gordon on his interesting journey to get to the Bar.