The Marshall Hall Trust was originally set up under the Will of Sir Edward Marshall Hall to help needy members of the Inner Temple.

With Social Security payments now available for the elderly this has allowed the Trust to widen its scope to give assistance to some students* and pupils, who through no fault of their own, e.g. loss of a parent or financial support being withdrawn, would not otherwise be able to complete the course or their pupillage.

The Trust can only help an applicant who is a member of the Inner Temple. Dependants of an Inner Templar are not directly eligible for assistance.

The object of the Trust is to give assistance by way of loan or grant to members of the Inner Temple who are in need. The Committee is also concerned to see that the investments are carefully managed, and that the income is fully used for the benefit of applicants. However, claims made on the funds vary from year to year, and it is never known in advance how great they will be in any year. In addition to giving direct assistance to those who have applied to it the Trust contributes to payments made by the Barristers' Benevolent Association for the benefit of members of the Inner Temple. The Trust's contribution varies from one half in the normal case to a smaller fraction where large sums are involved.

For more information or to apply for funding please contact the Secretary, Richard Loveridge.

Please note that all individuals requesting assistance are required to complete a detailed application form and are also required to meet with trustees to discuss their application. This process does take time and potential applicants should be aware that it typically takes a number of weeks for an application to be reviewed and a decision reached. 

* Financial assistance for students is not offered as a fund for those who need assistance with course fees or instead of a Scholarship. It is unlikely that the Trust will consider financially assisting someone who did not have enough funds to start the course. In exceptional circumstances they will consider someone who was already on the Bar Course and found that for reasons (as listed in paragraph 1) could not complete the course. The Inn already offers a Scholarship scheme which has much greater funds available to it, for more information please visit the Scholarships section of the website.