Foreword

The Inn’s E&T activity over the past seven years has been directed by the previous E&T five year vision  document launched in 2017. This described a future where the digital world would become more prominent and professional roles would continue to change, but that advocacy would still be at the heart of what the Bar does and accordingly at the forefront of the Inn’s E&T activities.  Further, as the majority of our professional members have been practising for more than five years,  it seemed important to develop educational programmes relevant to them and not just to new entrants.

The completion of Project Pegasus, which redeveloped our Treasury Building to create modern E&T facilities, and the experience of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated development in some areas but necessarily delayed others.  The purpose of this new strategy is to consolidate what has gone before and to develop new ideas and directions within the Inn’s  E&T programmes.  Advocacy will always remain at the forefront of the Inn’s educational activity; but we want to extend the range of activity through the Established Barrister programme, an idea which was conceived in the 2017 vision, but which this strategy seeks to follow through.

The content of this strategy has been informed by two member-engagement events, in-person at the Inn and online.  The  input from members was discussed and the strategy refined by a working group whose members were drawn from across the full range of the Inn’s membership and staff.  We are grateful to all of them but our particular thanks go to Gail Fleming, Director of Education, without whose creative energy and experience in professional education this strategy could not have been drawn together as swiftly or clearly as it has.