Nominations for Middle Temple Access to the Bar Award 2026

Please use this form to nominate yourself for a place on Middle Temple's Access to the Bar Award scheme for 2026. 

This scheme provides two funded weeks (£350 per week) of work experience every summer for up to thirty undergraduates from under represented backgrounds. One week is spent marshalling (i.e. shadowing a judge in court) and the other week in Chambers with a barrister. 

Where possible Chambers and Courts close to the candidate’s home are selected for the scheme. However where necessary the Inn will provide accommodation to complete the scheme in London or other city. Candidates will also receive invitations to networking events.

Eligibility 

Please note the following eligibility criteria. In order to be nominated, you must:

• Be available to participate from the final week of June to the end of the first week of July.
• Be in the second, third or fourth year of a qualifying law degree, or taking the Graduate Diploma in Law or an equivalent conversion course. Postgraduates with a qualifying law degree may also apply.
• Have little or no family history of higher or professional education.
• Have completed secondary education in a state school. (In exceptional circumstances, students who attended secondary education in a fee-paying school may be considered.)
• Not be a member of the Honourable Society of Inner Temple, The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn or the Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn.

Please note that direct applications to this scheme are not accepted - Middle Temple will only take nominations from a member of university staff. 

Nomination process and selection criteria

Dr Jackson Allen, the Bar Careers Lead, will be making the decision as to who to nominate, based on eligibility for the scheme and likelihood of success, which will be determined by reference to Middle Temple's criteria for making an award, namely:

1. A profile indicating that the student is likely to be awarded a good upper second or first class degree; and
2. A good performance in mooting or debating activity at university or at school or other evidence of potential to be a successful advocate; and
3. Good references as to their academic and intellectual ability and other relevant qualities such as self-confidence, strong communication skills and motivation and determination for a career at the Bar from two of their university tutors.
4. Students who have limited experience of the Bar thus far and meet the previous criteria are preferred. Students should be aware that an unsuccessful application to Access to the Bar is not an indictment of their ability and will not affect their chances of being awarded a Middle Temple BPTC Scholarship - which is awarded on merit alone.

Submission Guidance

Please use the below form to confirm your eligibility for the scheme and to briefly explain why you should be selected, by reference to the selection criteria above. Note that you do not need to fulfil every single criterion perfectly, but you must be able to generally show that you will be a competitive applicant if nominated. 

The deadline to submit your responses is Monday 15th December 2025 at 12 noon GMT. Submissions received after this deadline will not be considered, so please make sure to submit on time. If you have any questions about this process itself, please contact Jackson on j.l.allen@sheffield.ac.uk.