Call to the Bar

There are four Call ceremonies each year; Hilary (March), Trinity (July), Deferred Trinity (October) and Michaelmas (November).

To be considered eligible to be called to the Bar an individual must have successfully completed the following:

• academic component of training
• vocational component of Bar training (Bar training course) 
• obtained the requisite number of Qualifying Sessions
• undergone the necessary fit and proper person checks (including obtaining a ‘Standard’ Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and, if necessary, the international equivalents)

An applicant can submit their Call to the Bar application before meeting all of the requirements above. Please read the guidelines for further information. 

The 2024/25 Call ceremony dates are below:

(Slide across to see application deadline for each ceremony)

The Inn is currently accepting applications for the following ceremonies: 

• Michaelmas 2024 
• Hilary 2025

Before applying via the online application portal, all applicants should read the Call to the Bar application guidelines below thoroughly. 

All students who commence the Bar course on or after the 1 June 2020, and have not attended a Qualifying Session prior to that date, will need to abide by the new requirements stated in the Qualifying Sessions Framework (further information regarding the requirements can be found on the following webpage). This requirement to meet the Qualifying Sessions Framework may also apply to Transferring Legal Professionals if stated in their 'Admission to the Bar' letter issued by the Bar Standards Board. 

For students who commenced the Bar course prior to 1 June 2020, or students who attended Qualifying Sessions prior 1 June 2020, transitional arrangements will apply to you. Details of the transitional arrangements can be found under paragraph 39 of the Joint Inns' Education and Qualification Rules. 

The Call to the Bar ceremony itself will still be classified as a Qualifying Session up until 30 June 2021. The Call ceremony will not count as a Qualifying Session after this date. 

Qualifying Sessions are valid for 5 years and it is the responsibility of all applicants to ensure they have met the requirements and obtained the requisite number of valid Qualifying Sessions at the point of Call. You can monitor this by logging in to your members area on the Inner Temple website. 

If you are not a current Bar Training Course student, or you were recently admitted to the Inn as a Transferring Legal Professional, please contact the Education & Training Department directly at qs@innertemple.org.uk to ensure you are added to the mailing list for members currently attending Qualifying Sessions.

The Bar Standards Board requires that all individuals, including Transferring Legal Professionals, being called to the Bar after 1 July 2021 undergo a Standard UK Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) criminal record check. Additionally, those who have resided in a country/countries outside of the UK for 12 continuous months or more, or 12 months cumulatively, at any point during the 5 years preceding their application for Call, will need to undergo the equivalent international criminal record check/s.

The criminal record checks form part of the ‘fit and proper person checks’ required prior to Call to the Bar. A detailed overview of the requirement and how to obtain the checks, including a breakdown of associated costs, can be found in the Criminal Record Checks Factsheet, which can be downloaded below.

Also available to download below are the following documents:

• The Inn's supplementary Privacy Notice regarding background checks
• The Inn's Policy Statement – Treatment of Ex-offenders 

There is a limited Criminal Record Check waiver put in place as a response to COVID-19 by the BSB. If you would like to find out more about the waiver, please read the waiver criteria and guidelines below before applying. 

A breakdown of the overall cost of Call can be found on the Education and Training Knowledge Base HERE. Below is just a snapshot of the application process. 

On the day of the Call ceremony, those being called to the Bar must arrive at the Inner Temple Treasury Building at 5pm to register, whilst their guests should head directly to the Temple Church (or Inner Temple Hall for the Hilary ceremony) to take their seats. The ceremony begins promptly at 6pm, when the Masters of the Bench process into the Church/Hall.

The ceremony is followed by a reception in the Treasury Building for those who have been called, their guests and the Masters of the Bench. The evening usually ends at approximately 8.30pm.

Students being called must wear the following:

• A dark suit. A dark dress or skirt is also acceptable but should be no shorter than knee
  length and must be worn with a jacket.
•  Dark, formal footwear.
• A court shirt and bands OR a court shirt and collar OR a court bib (more detailed guidance
  listed below):
  1. a tunic court shirt with attachable wing collar AND starched bands
  2. a regular plain white wing-collared shirt AND starched bands
  3. a court bib (aka collarette) over a white top
  4. white tunic or mandarin court shirt with ladies’ collar
  5. a black dress with a collar
  6. a tunic court shirt with attachable wing collar AND starched bands
  7. a regular plain white wing-collared shirt AND starched bands
• A gown (this will be supplied by the Inn, free of charge, so please do not bring your own).

Please note, wigs are not worn during the ceremony at the Inner Temple. However, if you
opt to have your photograph professionally taken then you will have the opportunity to
wear one whilst being photographed.

As a result of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and data sharing protocol we have with the BSB, we share member information with the BSB for the stated purposes set out in the MoU data sharing protocol. For more information on how the BSB uses your information, whether obtained from us or otherwise, please read their Privacy Statement.