"The Bar is Open to All", Chairman-Elect Tells London Students

17 October 2011

The Chairman-Elect of the Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, will today urge students from disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue a career at the Bar, at an event co-hosted by the Bar Council, the Law Society and ILEX.

Michael Todd QC, a leading chancery practitioner, will share his experience at the Bar with over 50 pre A-Level students aged 14-15 from low income households, who will be welcomed to the Law Society venue by The Rt. Hon. Baroness Scotland PC QC. Suitable participants were identified with the assistance of the charity Ark (Absolute Return for Kids) and Pathways to Law.

The event will outline the different routes of entry and the qualifications required to enter the legal profession, and give real insight into life as a legal practitioner. Students will watch a mock trial heard by circuit judge Her Hon. Judge Downing. Later in the afternoon they will break out into smaller groups to ask individual barristers about their experience, learning from Michael Todd QC, criminal barrister Courtenay Griffiths QC, commercial barrister Emma Edhem and family barrister Peggy Ekeledo-Smith.

Over lunch, students will be able to meet other practitioners and learn more about their experience of the legal profession.

Michael Todd QC, Chairman-Elect of the Bar, said:

"A modern and credible legal profession must be diverse and inclusive if it is to represent its clients from all parts of society. Barristers go on to make up the vast majority of the judiciary, on whose expertise and experience our democratic way of life depends. Through initiatives like today's careers event, the Bar Council wishes to deliver one key message: the Bar is open to all."

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1. For further information please contact the Bar Council Press Office on 020 7222 2525.

2. The Bar Council represents barristers in England and Wales. It promotes:

• The Bar's high quality specialist advocacy and advisory services
• Fair access to justice for all
• The highest standards of ethics, equality and diversity across the profession, and
• The development of business opportunities for barristers at home and abroad

The General Council of the Bar is the Approved Regulator of the Bar of England and Wales. It discharges its regulatory functions through the independent Bar Standards Board.