Call to the Bar Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for Call you must:

• Pass the Bar course or, if you are a Transferring Legal Professional, have passed the modules prescribed by the Bar Standards Board if any.
• Attend all required Qualifying Sessions.
• Obtain the necessary criminal record checks (a standard UK DBS check and, if required, international check).

You can apply for Call before you are eligible for the ceremony. You will be provided with a provisional Call date subject to meeting the eligibility criteria.

Qualifying Sessions

All students members must meet the requirements stated in the Qualifying Sessions Framework. This requirement to meet the Qualifying Sessions Framework also applies to Transferring Legal Professionals if stated in their ‘Admission to the Bar’ letter issued by the Bar Standards Board (BSB).

Qualifying Sessions are valid for 5 years and it is the responsibility of all applicants to ensure they have met the requirements and obtained the requisite number of valid Qualifying Sessions at the point of Call. You can monitor this by logging in to your members area on the Inner Temple website.

If you are not a current Bar Course student, or you were recently admitted to the Inn as a Transferring Legal Professional, please contact the Education & Training Department directly at qs@innertemple.org.uk to ensure you are added to the mailing list for members currently attending Qualifying Sessions.

Criminal Record Checks

The BSB requires that all individuals, including Transferring Legal Professionals, being called to the Bar to undergo a Standard UK Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) criminal record check. Additionally, those who have resided in a country/countries outside of the UK for 12 continuous months or more, or 12 months cumulatively, at any point during the 5 years preceding their application for Call, will need to undergo the equivalent international criminal record check/s.

The criminal record checks form part of the ‘fit and proper person checks’ required prior to Call to the Bar. A detailed overview of the requirement and how to obtain the checks, including a breakdown of associated costs, can be found in the Criminal Record Checks Factsheet, which can be downloaded below.

Also available to download below are the following documents:

• The Inn’s supplementary Privacy Notice regarding background checks
• The Inn’s Policy Statement – Treatment of Ex-offenders

There is a limited Criminal Record Check waiver in place by the BSB. If you would like to find out more about the waiver, please read the waiver criteria and guidelines before applying.