Sub-Treasurer's Report, July 2018

The Finance Sub-Committee held 2019-2023 Budget Round meetings with all staff departments.

Heads of Department and other staff attended a workshop on 28 June to address the performance management system at Inner Temple.

An exhibition of the existing Project Pegasus proposals and of the proposed temporary accommodation into which staff and events would be decanted during the Project took place in the Buttery rooms between 15-22 May. This was open to all members, tenants and residents of Inner Temple.

The Bar Liaison Committee survey of members of Hall on the subject of Project Pegasus closed on 28 May. Analysis of the responses will be reported to the Executive Committee in June and Bench Table in July.

The planned maintenance of the exterior of 7-13 King’s Bench Walk is well advanced and expected to end in July. Sim

A briefing for the Temple Residents Association on the planning application submitted on 6 June for temporary structures into which the functions of the Treasury Building would be decanted if Project Pegasus goes ahead took place on 2 July – Master Fetherstonhaugh, Master Robertson, the Sub-Treasurer, the Surveyor and the Head Gardener participated.

The Judicial Review Permission Hearing on Project Pegasus took place on 3 July. Paul Brown QC represented the Inner Temple (the Interested Party). The Judge gave an extempore judgment in which he rejected all of the Claimant’s four grounds on the footing that none was properly arguable. The City of London as (Defendant) was awarded its costs.

The Estates Committee met on 3 July and commissioned follow-up work on security at Inner Temple.

ilar maintenance work to Littleton Building will commence on 6 August until 9 November. Internal staircase refurbishments of 12 and 13 King’s Bench Walk, and 2 and 3 Hare Court are also proposed before the end of the year.

Following Fire Safety training conducted by LWF, a further evacuation drill for Library staff to agree the protocol for the safe evacuation of mobility impaired personnel from the Library has been arranged for 25 June.

A New Practitioners’ Residential Weekend was held at Inner Temple on 15-17 June and a New Practitioners Evening on 21 June.

CPE Scholarship Interviews took place on 22/23 June followed by a Prospective Students’ Question and Answer Day on 24 June and a PASS course on 24-26 June. A concluding reception for the PASS students and trainers was co-hosted with COMBAR and Middle Temple and the Secretary of COMBAR and Sub-Treasurer gave short addresses.

The Education and Training Committee met on 10 July and agreed to establish a sub-group to look at future training for middle year barristers, under the chairmanship of Master Agnello. The Committee also noted universally positive feedback on the second new ethics training course, alongside widespread student complaints about the BPTC ethics course and exam.

The annual Pegasus Trust reception took place on 11 July (with attendance somewhat eroded because of the England-Croatia match.)

Over 100 employers from 18 sectors, who collectively employ over one million people, entered the 2018 Social Mobility Index. The Inner Temple has been ranked 24th – up eleven places compared with 2017 – out of the Top 50 UK employers who have taken the most action on social mobility in the workplace. Entrants included banks, law firms, Government departments, engineering firms, retail firms and technology companies. Inner Temple is the only Inn to have entered the index.

The Bar Liaison Committee met on 18 June and, inter alia, discussed the outcome of the BLC survey on Project Pegasus and the BLC’s response to the BSB consultation on Modernising Regulatory Decision-Making.

A networking garden party jointly hosted by BACFI and the Temple Employed Bar Forum was held at Middle Temple on Tuesday 19 June. Katherine Willerton (Called 2005) of the Government Legal Department won the Bar Council’s annual Employed Barrister of the Year award for her work on the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill and in mentoring junior members of her team. The award was sponsored by the Inner Temple.

Private Guest Night took place on 20 June and a Farewell Dinner for Martin Cheesman, the former Head Chef, on 27 June, both with a good number of attendees.

Some 550 women (and a respectable number of men) attended the Temple Women’s Forum Garden Party at Inner Temple on 2 July. They were addressed by the Lord Chief Justice and Master Taylor.

For the first time, Inner Temple flew the Rainbow Flag on 6/7 July during London Pride week, attracting a considerable amount of positive social media.

There was also excellent social media coverage of the second Wellness in the Law Forum held at Inner Temple on 6 July to discuss Building a Resilient Profession. Some 75 people attended, Master Spearing acted as Convenor; and from Inner Temple Master Levitt, Master Cheryl Thomas, Nicola Wallace QC, Sarah Vine (CBA) and the Sub-Treasurer were among the main speakers.

The Temple Big Picnic took place on Sunday 8 July. Open to members of all the Inns, over 300 guests attended this very happy family day with plenty of entertainment for the many children who came.

The popular and well-attended Inner Temple Summer Party took place on 12 July with a 1960’s theme and rock and pop music from the era.

The Books Sub-Committee met on 20 June and the Library Committee on 27 June. Updated valuations of the manuscript and book collections by Christie’s and Sotheby’s are being arranged.

The new server hardware in Mitre Court has been fully installed, tested and deployed. The IT Department are now working on migrating some existing servers over to Mitre Court.

A Romanian delegation led by the Minister for the Diaspora and including the Romanian Ambassador visited Inner Temple on 25 June and were met by Master Tait, Master Kabir Sheikh and the Sub-Treasurer.

The fifth Geoffrey Nice Foundation Master Class on Law, History, Politics and Society in the Context of Mass Atrocities, this year on the topic of Political Expediency Behind International Criminal Courts, took place from 2-13 July. The key objectives of the Foundation are to advance a multi-disciplinary understanding of international criminal justice and to build an international network of individuals with shared interests and complementary knowledge and experience. The Inn sponsored four junior barrister members to join the cohort of 35 MA, PhD and Post-PhD participants from legal, historical, political and sociological disciplines, who attend from the Balkans, Turkey, Russia, Australia and South Korea. The group heard from Inner Temple members Master Nice, Master Cayley, Master Bonomy, Sabina Garahan, Aarif Abraham and Rabah Kherbane, in addition to former judges from the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the former Presidents of Bosnia and Herzegovina; and of Kosovo.

Emily Blackmore left on 29 June, having completed a two-year traineeship in ornamental gardening. She will next undertake work experience at Monet’s Garden in France and Great Dixter, followed by a one-year traineeship at Kew.

A 72-second silence for the victims of the Grenfell Tower tragedy was held in Church Court on 14 June, led by the Master and Reader of the Temple.

A Memorial Service for former Sub-Treasurer Master Little was held on 4 July followed by a reception in Hall; and a Memorial Service for the former Treasurer of Middle Temple Sir Paul Jenkins was held on 9 July, followed by a reception in Inner Temple Gardens.

The Temple Church Family Reunion took place on 8 July, followed by a re-enactment of the recent Royal Wedding by children.

70 members of the Inn have generously offered their services as initial reviewers for Book Prize submissions: of which 30 books have been recommended for the main prize shortlist and seven for the new authors’ prize. A Judging Panel will decide upon a final list to read over the summer before the winners are chosen at a meeting in October.

The archivist is assisting Judith Bourne, the founder and chair of the ‘First Women Lawyers in Great Britain and the Empire’ symposia, in selecting images and material for an exhibition in the church to celebrate the centenary of the Sexual Disqualification (Removal) Act in 1919.

Ben Taylor started work as Assistant Archivist on the 2 July. He also works part-time as the archivist at Magdalen College, Oxford.