The Academic Fellowship Scheme aimed to recognise the outstanding contribution of legal teaching and research of early to mid-career academics to the Bar of England and Wales. A key objective of the scheme was to support their research and to build stronger ties between barristers and legal academia.

The Inn worked closely with universities across the UK to provide information on the profession to aspiring entrants and those who teach them.

Over the ten year period of the scheme 40 academics were appointed Academic Fellow of the Inner Temple and it remained a positive way for academics to connect with the Inn's practising members. 

In 2021 the scheme was paused to new applicants, to enable a review about its outcomes to be conducted.

On the tenth anniversary of the Scheme in 2020, the Inn asked a committee of former Fellows and Benchers to conduct a review of the Scheme. The committee gathered views from current and former Fellows and members of the Inn about the Scheme and submitted a report to the Inn. A working group was then convened to review the report’s findings and it recommended that the Inner Temple Academic Fellows appointed in 2019 be the final group of Inner Temple fellows and that the Inn explore new ways of engaging with academia in the future. This decision was ratified by the Inn’s Executive Committee.

The Inn is proud of the achievements of the Fellows Scheme over a decade and the relationships we have developed with the fellows in this programme. If you have been in touch with the Inn because of the scheme or met us at one of the Legal Academic dinners over the years, we thank you for your interest. The Inn remains committed to connecting with academics throughout the UK and we are working on how best to develop the Inn’s relationships with academics in the future.

We thank you for your patience while the Inn considered the future of the Scheme, and we would very much like to stay connected. Please do contact our outreach department if you would like information about routes to the Bar for your students. We are happy to host Tours of the Inn as well as give talks on campus.

Email outreach@innertemple.org.uk to book a tour, receive careers guides or enquire into University presentations.