Aspiring barristers from underrepresented groups supported by Bridging the Bar 2024 Outreach Programme
Image: Bridging the Bar 2024 interns – from left to right: Iman Samad, Talia Webster, Tamyah Jones, Evangeline Oliver, Alexia Sri Tharan, Abdullah Yousuf-Iqbal, Renée Verissimo, Tenishia Prah, Emma-Jane Harris, Theresa Guodaa, Zainab Saleem, Aimee Imana and Mohamed Major.
In November 2024, 17 aspiring barristers from underrepresented groups participated in a five-day paid internship at the High Court and Court of Appeal.
The internship was facilitated by the Judicial Office’s Diversity and Inclusion team and the academy within the Bridging the Bar charity. This is the third year that the scheme has taken place at the Royal Courts of Justice and the Rolls Building.
The aim of the scheme is to support talented lawyers from diverse backgrounds gain the skills, experience and mindset needed to secure pupillage – the final training stage before becoming a qualified barrister. The interns had the unique opportunity to meet with and receive mentorship from senior judges, whilst shadowing judicial assistants and attending court proceedings.
Image: Lady Justice Whipple (right) welcomes interns
Lady Justice Whipple, Lead Judge for Diversity & Inclusion, Leadership Development and Wellbeing, and Mrs Justice Bacon, High Court Judge of the Chancery Division, both committed their time and enthusiasm to support the scheme.
A highlight for the interns was the chance to present to judges about an area of law that they enjoyed or about their personal journey to becoming a barrister. The aim was to encourage interns to develop their own authentic voice, increase their confidence in addressing judges, and encourage discussion on the importance of diversity and inclusion within the judiciary and the Bar.
Image: Judges and interns – from left to right: Ms Justice Henke, Lord Justice Stuart-Smith, Mr Justice Freedman, Holly Jensen, Zainab Saleem, Talia Webster, Mohamed Major.
Lord Justice Stuart-Smith said:
“[Bridging the Bar] really brings people together, a very diverse group of people.”
The week concluded with the interns attending a workshop led by judicial assistants Adam Zahid, a former Bridging the Bar intern, and Beth Gilmour. Adam and Beth spoke about demystifying the judicial assistant interview process and how to deliver a strong performance at interview.
Bridging the Bar is a charity, founded in July 2020, that aims to support aspiring barristers from a range of statistically underrepresented groups at the Bar. For more information visit the Bridging the Bar website.
Watch interns Abdullah, Holly and Talia describe their experiences of the scheme: