Raising the Bar

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.

Gerard and Evan discuss, as the title states, the joys, and struggles of a young marriage. What is a young marriage? If you are one of the first married couples off the dance floor during the couples dance at a wedding, you have a young marriage.

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.

A mystery guest joins Gerard and Evan as the talk about the pros and cons of sports in society. They discuss the history of sports and its impact on society throughout the ages.

Gerard and Evan discuss finding a community and dealing with rejection. We talk about what a community is, how to find one, how to recognize a good one, how to deal with the rejection of a community, and finally, grieving the loss of a community.

Guest of the show Amy joins Gerard and Evan to discuss (as the title says) the importance of community.

Gerard and Evan discuss what the Raising the Bar podcast is all about. This episode will either entice listeners to tune into RTB (whenever it is randomly uploaded) or to never again download an episode.

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.        

Have you ever wondered what a student mentor does and how they can help you? This week Elena chats to student mentor, Rachel Barnes, on what made her decide to become a student mentor and what the benefits are for both the student and the mentor.  

What is a Senior Scholarship? Who can apply? What should you consider when applying? Elena chats to Ruby Shrimpton, a Gray's Inn scholarship recipient, on all this and more in this episode.

The Pupillage Gateway opens for submissions on 7 January 2020 - a process fraught with tension and anxiety for most students. Just how does one go about submitting the best possible application for pupillage? How many chambers should you apply to? When do you know your application is ready to submit?  In this episode our host Elena, chats to Gemma Walsh about her experiences and how she refined her application process with the help of an excel spreadsheet. Tune in to find out how she did it.  

This year, Gray's Inn became the first of the Inns to have it's own LGBT+ Society. Gray's has long been celebrated as a diverse institution, welcoming students and barristers from around the world. The formation of the LGBT+ Society formalises the openness that is at the heart of the Inn.   This episode is guest-hosted by Gwyn Evans and Verity Bell, both committee members of the LGBT+ Society. Tune in to find out more about the Society and why it is so important to celebrate diversity.   Music Credit: Music: Motivate Me by Mixaund | https://mixaund.bandcamp.com

Today on Raising the Bar, Elena finds out about two of Gray’s Inn debating initiatives; Vocalise & Griffin. Vocalise is a student-led prison debating initiative administered by the Inn’s Education Department, while Griffin introduces secondary and sixth form students to the legal profession. Elena speaks to Joe, a former Vocalise mentor, and Hamsi, a former Griffin mentor, to find out why these initiatives are so important, and why you should get involved.    https://www.graysinn.org.uk/joining/vocalise https://www.graysinn.org.uk/joining/outreach/griffin-law   Music: Motivate Me by Mixaund | https://mixaund.bandcamp.com

The AGIS podcast Raising the Bar is up and running for the new academic year! In our first episode, AGIS publicity officer Elena Johnson speaks to Riaz Hussain QC, a member of our scholarships committee, about the process of applying for a Gray's Inn BPTC scholarship. If you're thinking of applying for a scholarship, or already have, this episode is for you. Packed with useful tips for both applications and interviews, it will guide you through what can seem quite a daunting task. Elena speaks of her experience of the application and interviews, and Riaz brings an opinion from the other side of the table, with what the panel are looking for within scholarship applications. What are you waiting for? Get listening!     Music: Motivate Me by Mixaund | https://mixaund.bandcamp.com

Louisa Brown a BPTC student at BPP, London joins me to discuss her journey to the Bar, all the way from Blackpool to Cambridge, to Yale and back! Music credit: Scott Holmes, Our Big Adventure. Many thanks to Gray's Inn for the continued support. 

This is the first episode of the brand new podcast brought to you by the Association of Gray's Inn students, hosted by Alana Hughes, discussing all things BPTC scholarship applications!