About:
Bridging the Bar is a charity committed to the promotion of equal opportunities and diversity of the Bar in England and Wales. Bridging the Bar believe that the ‘bridge’ between today’s Bar and the diverse Bar our society needs can be built by achieving three objectives:
- equal access to opportunity
- mentorship
- transparency.
Support:
BTB are committed to increasing the equality of access to opportunities in the legal profession across all underrepresented groups. They help students who, owing to their disability, ethnic background, socio-economic background, education or sexuality, belong to groups which are statistically underrepresented in the profession.
Join over 70 chambers, 26 sponsorship partners and over 300 barristers and members of the judiciary in supporting BTB to achieve their vision for a society where the Bar is accessible for everyone regardless of race, sex, class or other characteristic.
Chambers – Interview Advocacy
BTB are looking for chambers to provide two in-person half days of training to five or more candidates. The training will focus on specific advocacy exercises, giving candidates the opportunity to attempt, receive feedback on, and improve their performance on common interview questions. A full guide with timeline and example exercises will be given to participating chambers by BTB and there is no cost to chambers who choose to get involved. BTB are recruiting for interview advocacy providers until September 2023. Sign up here.
Chambers – Mini Pupillage Scheme
BTB are currently looking for chambers to provide mini-pupillage places for our candidates. They are recruiting for mini-pupillage providers until January of 2024. They run two cycles of mini-pupillages within the Academy year: cycle one from October to January and cycle two from February to June. Chambers can get involved with just one or both cycles, and there is no minimum number of places required! There is no cost for chambers associated with this programme and the administrative burden is handled by BTB. Sign up here.
Individual Support – Mentors
BTB are recruiting mentors for the 23/24 Academy! As a mentor, you will be paired with a candidate who shares an interest in your practice area to provide 1:1 support over the course of the Academy year. Support from mentors is one of the most beloved aspects of the academy and in providing this support you are really changing lives! Sign up here.
Individual Support – Consultancy Panel
BTB are recruiting individuals to sit on their consultancy panel until November of this year. The consultancy panel offers candidates an opportunity to get ad-hoc 1:1 support with a specific question or problem. The consultancy panel is designed to fit in with practitioners’ busy schedules with panellists being able to accept or decline requests according to their own capacity. Sign up here.
