Bridging the Bar 2023 Outreach Programme
The High Court and Court of Appeal opened their doors to the charity Bridging the Bar and its outreach programme.
The Judicial Office Diversity and Inclusion Team, in collaboration with the academy within Bridging the Bar (BTB), facilitated a five-day paid placement to 19 aspiring barristers from under-represented groups. The programme ran for two weeks, beginning on 13 November 2023.
Interns had the unique opportunity to shadow judicial assistants, receive mentorship from esteemed judges, and attend court proceedings. Part of the week included discussions between the interns and judges about topics relating to diversity and inclusion at the Bar and in the judiciary. Mr Justice Foxton, the Judge in Charge of the Commercial Court, hosted one of the interns, and was one of the judges who participated in the equality and inclusion session. The aim of this discussion was to facilitate mutual learning between both the interns and the judges on the intern’s experiences and their journeys to the Bar.
The week concluded with the interns presenting to the judges to consolidate the mutual learning which took place throughout the week and encourage productive discussions on the importance of diversity and inclusion within the judiciary. This internship aimed to equip the interns with the expertise essential for their journey toward becoming successful barristers, fostering their professional development and aspirations.
BTB 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 on the work of BTB, visit their website.
Watch an interview with participating barristers: