Sub-Treasurer's Report, July 2019

On 27 June, revised plans for the discharge of conditions relating to the planning permission for Project Pegasus were resubmitted to the City of London, following productive meetings with their officials. The City responded with a couple of requested amendments on 2 July and the document was re-submitted on 3 July and has been uploaded to their website. The Inn is advised that the City proposes to determine this reapplication after 14 days under delegated authority, but this may depend on any further responses from interested parties (only one such interested party commented previously). In the meantime, preparatory measures including erection of scaffolding and hoarding, and careful dismantling of the Library joinery for alteration and re-use, are being carried out - but more substantive works cannot begin until the planning condition is formally discharged by the City. This has the potential to give rise to a delay, although the contractor is seeking to mitigate this.

An Estates Committee meeting took place on 2 July.

Following signature of a contract between University College London (UCL) and Inner Temple, Master Cheryl Thomas commenced work on 28 May as the Inn’s first Dean of Education on secondment for 50% of her time.

The Sub-Treasurer and Mrs Lockyer attended a Bristol BPP qualifying session and dinner for BPTC students on 7 June.

Internship Award interviews took place on 12/13 June; GDL Scholarship interviews on 21/22 June; and Pupillage Awards interviews on 5 July.

Dinner for Cumberland Lodge and Highgate House trainers was held on 13 June and an Advocacy Dinner on 24 June, both at Vintners’ Hall. A Dinner for Academic Fellows was held on 3 July at the Honourable Artillery Company.

A New Practitioners’ Residential Weekend took place at Wotton House on 14-16 June, around an accountancy advocacy scenario. A New Practitioners’ Ethics Evening on 20 June; PASS Skills Days on 24/25 June; and Advocacy and the Vulnerable training on 29 June, all took place at King’s College London (KCL). Prospective Students’ Question and Answer Days on 22/23 June were held at the London School of Economics.

A Qualifying Sessions Sub-Committee meeting was held on 26 June to work on new criteria introduced by the Bar Standards Board (BSB). A Scholarships Committee meeting was held on 27 June to assess the 2019 round of interviews and awards. An Education and Training Committee meeting took place on 3 July and approved the Self- evaluation of Qualifying Sessions report, which was written by the Qualifying Sessions Sub-Committee.

600 barristers, solicitors and judges attended the Temple Women’s Forum Garden Party held in the Inner Temple marquee on 3 July.

The Temple Big Picnic members of the Inn and their families in the garden and marquee scheduled for 7 July is due to be attended by 260 guests.

Master Hallett will retire from the Court of Appeal later this year. A Valedictory Speech will take place in Court 4 from 4.30pm-5.30pm on 17 October.

A meeting of the Books Sub-Committee took place on 10 June and the Library Committee met on 19 June, followed by drinks at the temporary Library at 10 Fetter Lane.

The Librarian and Deputy Librarian attended the annual conference of the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians in Bournemouth on 13/14 June.

Training sessions for library staff on the JustisOne databases took place on 17 June. The Deputy Librarian took part in the Inn’s Prospective Students’ Question and Answer Day on 23 June and gave a presentation on “The lesser-known superpower: legal research”. The Librarian organised a meeting for members of the Bar Librarians Group with representatives from Thomson Reuters to discuss the new Westlaw UK platform.

The IT Department is beginning preparations for an upgrade to Windows 10, which is due to take place later this summer. The Department are working with the Human Resources Manager to produce revised policies for use of the Inn’s network. All Inner Temple laptops are being encrypted to mitigate the risks to information security.

Master Flaux, as Chair of the International Committee, and the Sub-Treasurer met Sir Ciaran Devane, CEO of the British Council on 5 June to discuss possible collaboration on judicial and advocacy training.

Master Keeling and the Sub-Treasurer represented the Inn at the UK ASEAN Business Council Summer Reception on 10 June.

The annual Geoffrey Nice Foundation Masterclass, partly sponsored by Inner Temple, began at the Inter-University Centre at Dubrovnik, Croatia, on 30 June and will run until 13 July.

Plans are well-advanced for the Treasurer’s visit to Mauritius, Singapore and Malaysia in September. He will be accompanied by Lady Hughes and the Sub-Treasurer. The programme includes events organised with the British High Commissioners in the respective countries and with the Malaysian Inner Temple Alumni Association.

The Garden – and the Master of the Temple’s garden – were again open to the public on 9 June during the annual Open Garden Squares Weekend. Croquet and cocktails were available. Master Treasurer and the Finance Sub-Committee have agreed, following a recommendation by Master Robertson, to underwrite a pop-up bar run by the same company that provided the latter on 22-24 July, when the marquee would otherwise be unused.

A well-attended History Society event took place in Temple Church on 4 June. Extracts from “The Misfortunes of Arthur”, created for the revels at Gray’s Inn but which has not been performed for 432 years, were acted out (with great talent) by members of the Inner Temple Drama Society – these were interspersed with commentary by academics from KCL. Candlelight and white wine helped to create an informative and enjoyable evening.

An extremely moving Choral Evensong on 5 June marked the anniversary of D-Day, with readings based on contemporary records, speeches and broadcasts.

BSB agreement to the Inns of Court College of Advocacy (ICCA) proposal to launch the new two-part Bar Course from 2020 is still awaited. Attention has focussed on the policy on Independence between the Inns and ICCA and on a proposed Hardship Fund for students. The BSB say that they will make their decision known in the week beginning 8 July and that they do not anticipate asking the Council of the Inns of Court for any further information in this context.

Master David Maddison sadly died on Saturday 29 June. He was a long-standing supporter of the Inn’s education and training, and specifically the student residential weekends. Details of a funeral service and memorial service will be circulated in due course.