Sub-Treasurer's Report, March-April 2019

Work continues apace preparing for the decant of the Treasury Building offices over Easter and to place Inner Temple’s events in alternative venues over the coming couple of years. The Inn has signed a contract to locate Inner Temple’s temporary Library at 10 Fetter Lane after Easter, at a precise date yet to be fixed.

The Inn’s accounts for 2018 are currently being audited.

The current catering contract with Searcys ends on 18 April. A new contract has been drafted covering the services required during the closure of the Treasury Building and a term of five years thereafter, as set out in the Heads of Agreement between Inner Temple and Searcys.

Planned maintenance continues on 1-3 Hare Court and additional roof work is programmed for Farrar’s Building in May-July. The Estates Works team will begin to salvage reusable items from the Treasury Building after Easter, prior to the handover of the building to Sir Robert McAlpine Special Projects in mid-May.

48 students (one in absentia) were Called to the Bar on Hilary Term Call Night, on 14 March 2019.

The Chancery Bar Association has offered to fund five student places on the Pegasus Access Support Scheme.

Scholarship interviews took place over the weekend of 16-17 March. 386 candidates were interviewed over two Saturdays and 100 awards were made, comprising seven Named Scholarships, 20 Major Scholarships and 73 Exhibition awards.

Master Jackson, the Sub-Treasurer and the Outreach Manager called on Master Buckland on 18 March to discuss the Solicitor General’s initiative on Public Legal Education (PLE). It was agreed that Inner Temple would be represented on the PLE Committee and contribute based on the Inn’s experience of outreach work.

A Dinner for Legal Academics was held on 19 March.

A Schools Project session was held on 26 March. 100 students aged 16-18 attended and 14 volunteers took part. The last Schools Day of this academic year takes place on 10 April and a further 100 students are expected to attend.

The Outreach Committee met on 1 April and discussed the Inn’s partnership with the Sutton Trust on its Pathways to Law programme, following a presentation from the Sutton Trust. The committee approved a rule change to the Inn’s Pegasus Access and Support Scheme to ensure that the essential criterion of having to attend UK state schools does not disadvantage refugees.

(Postscript – at the much-praised Dinner to the Universities held on 5 March, 50 out of 213 guests required special diets. This is possibly a record for the Inner Temple.)

The Bar Liaison Committee (BLC) met on 11 March. A working group has been set up to consider parental leave and childcare issues relating to the BLC. The BLC agenda for 8 April includes papers prepared by Richard Wheeler, the committee’s Western circuit representative and by Simon Gurney, the Northern circuit representative, examining how to connect better with members on circuit and how to support the Inn’s outreach activities on circuit. Following the meeting, the Treasurer will host a small dinner for BLC circuit representatives.

The Reader’s Lecture on 11 March, given by Paul McGarry SC (Chairman of the Bar of Ireland 2016-2018), was on the timely issue of ‘Brexit and the Irish Bar’. This was followed by a drinks reception and dinner.

The Treasurer, Sub-Treasurer and Membership Registrar participated in a much-appreciated Welsh Circuit dinner in Cardiff on 15 March.

Master Cayley addressed the Temple Employed Bar Forum on 18 March on the topic of prosecuting and defending before the international courts.

A Social Context of the Law panel discussion between The Rt Hon Lord Justice Adrian Fulford and Master Straw on “Peace vs. Justice”, chaired by Master Nice, took place on 1 April, followed by a drinks reception and dinner.

David Bartlett attained 10 years’ service as the Inn’s Collector on 1 April. (And the Sub-Treasurer recently passed his year-long probation.)

The first meeting of the new Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Sub-Committee took place on 3 April. It approved draft terms of reference and discussed several recommendations for improvements which will be referred to the Executive Committee in due course.

The Inner Temple, along with the Middle Temple, has made a small donation towards a life-size statue of William Marshall on a horse. The statue, by Harriet Addyman, has been commissioned by the Pembroke and Monkton History Society and will be placed outside the walls of Pembroke Castle.

Wanda Szwed, currently Office and Events Coordinator for Searcys, has been recruited to fill a new Personal Assistant to the Sub-Treasurer role: she will start work on 15 April.

A Books Sub-Committee meeting took place on 3 April.

The Inn’s IT team have been working with the Foreman Electrician, the Head Porter, the Inn’s cabling consultant and CCTV providers on the move of offices and meeting rooms from the Treasury Building to Mitre Court during Project Pegasus. This includes the relocation of three leased lines from the Treasury Building to Mitre Court. Connectivity has now been provided to the temporary office locations in Mitre Court and 3 King's Bench Walk.

The Garden's connection to the Inn’s network has been re-routed away from the main building.

The team is working with the Librarian and various consultants to establish a network connection between the Inn and the temporary Library.

The Sub-Treasurer represented the Inn at a Westminster Africa Business Group lunch for the High Commissioner of Sierra Leone on 21 March; and at a Bangladesh Independence and National Day reception on 27 March. The US Ambassador lunched at Inner Temple on 28 March, with Masters Treasurer, Robinson, Dingemans and Prandzioch: he then visited Temple Church and was briefed by the Master of the Temple. Former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard took tea with Masters Treasurer, Hallett and Simler and the Sub-Treasurer at Inner Temple on 28 March, before delivering a speech on “Women’s Leadership” in Temple Church.

The Gardens are hosting a number of open days throughout the summer. Inner Temple will once more be taking part in the Chelsea Fringe festival on Sunday 19 May with a family day entitled ‘A Day of Tree Adventures and Magical Fairy-tales’, which includes tree climbing; a performance of Hansel and Gretel; music, arts and activities. Also, the Inn will participate in Open Garden Squares Weekend on Sunday 9 June, when there will be Croquet and Cocktails on the lawn. On the last official day of the summer, Sunday 22 September, the Gardens will open to raise funds for the British Red Cross, with the opportunity to enjoy the late season borders and delicious homemade cakes.

Recent themed Wednesday Choral Evensongs – which are proving a popular initiative – have marked St David’s and St Patrick’s Days. At a very well-attended Evensong to acknowledge Brexit on 27 March, those present heard a powerful and illuminating talk by The Rt Hon the Lord Judge on this timely topic.

Professor Michelle O’Callaghan, Director of the Early Modern Research Centre at Reading University, lectured entertainingly and informatively to the History Society on “Law Sports: Revelling at the Elizabethan and Jacobean Inns of Court” on 25 March.

An interesting online database and website has been created by Professor Mitra Sharifi using the Inn’s membership database and listing South Asian Law students who attended the Inns of Court between 1861 and 1947. Many of the leaders of the independence movement in British India were Inner Temple members including Gandhi, Nehru and Jinnah. The site provides a fascinating resource for historians and researchers. Articles and further analysis by Professor Sharifi may also be found on the site at https://hosted.law.wisc.edu/wordpress/sharafi/south-asian-law-students-at-the-inns-of-court/.

Workshops helping departments organise their digital record keeping were organised by the Archivist and further training will be arranged next term. A record keeping policy for the Inn and instructions for all aspects of record keeping have been communicated to staff.

The sons of Ernest Lough, the Temple Church choir boy who recorded Mendelsohn’s O for the Wings of a Dove in 1927, recently deposited the second tranche of their father’s papers with the Archive. The Archivist is organising an exhibition with the Church using images and recordings from the Archive.

On 27 March, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Council of the Inns of Court (COIC) and the Inns of Court, recognising the vital role that the Inns will continue to have in the education, training and qualification of barristers in England and Wales. The MOU sets out the respective roles and responsibilities of the BSB and the Inns prior to Call. On 1 April the BSB published a new edition of the BSB Handbook, containing new qualification rules approved last month by the Legal Services Board. The stated aim is to ensure that training to become a barrister is more accessible, affordable and flexible while maintaining the high standards of entry expected at the Bar.

On 2 April, the Inns of Court College of Advocacy (ICCA) submitted an application to the BSB to deliver a new style of Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC.). The course will be the lowest cost BPTC in the UK and has been designed to reduce dramatically the risk and increase the flexibility for students through its novel two-part delivery. The ICCA BPTC has been developed by education experts and legal practitioners to deliver new, high-quality vocational content that will give students the best possible preparation for a career at the Bar.

Master William Glover sadly died on Monday 11 March 2019. The flag was flown at half-mast on Friday 29 March in his memory.