This section is for qualified solicitors, qualified lawyers from other jurisdictions, and legal academics who want to transfer to practice at the Bar of England and Wales.
If you have made a successful application to the Bar Standards Board (BSB) for Call to the Bar of England and Wales (see www.barstandardsboard.org.uk), you may apply to join an Inn of Court as a 'student member', i.e. a member who has yet to be Called to the Bar of England and Wales.
The link to the Middle Temple admission application form (including instructions) for Specially Qualified Applicants can be found below.
Qualifying Sessions
Any transferring lawyers who receives approval from the BSB on or after 1 September 2020 will be required to complete 10 Qualifying Sessions (QS) before Call. Click here to see details of the QS Requirements and how to be credited QS.
Call to the Bar and Pupillage/ Practice
If the Bar Standards Board require you to take any part of the Bar Transfer Test, you must have received your results before you can be Called to the Bar. Please note that you cannot commence any part of pupillage until you have passed all required sections of the test.
You are able to commence the non-practising part of pupillage without being Called; however, you will be unable to start the practising part of pupillage until you have been Called.
If you are exempt from pupillage entirely, you must be Called before you are able to commence practice.
There is a separate application for Call, which you can only submit once you have been admitted as a member of the Inn. The Call dates and the application form (when available) can be found here.
You can submit an application for Call before you receive results of your Bar Transfer Test (where applicable), providing the results would be released in good time before the ceremony, and before you have completed the required QS. Please check with the Inn which Call you will be eligible to apply for as this may affect the date on which you are able to start pupillage/ practice.
Pupils’ Advocacy Courses
You may also be required to attend the Pupils’ Advocacy Course. It should be clear from your correspondence with the BSB whether or not attendance is a requirement. If it is, you must complete the course before commencing the practising part of pupillage. Please contact the Training Programme Manager, Rosalie Bower, at r.bower@middletemple.org.uk for further details.
The Pupils’ Course run by the Middle Temple also incorporates the Practice Management Course and so there is no need to do two separate courses.
Please note that although our courses are run fairly regularly, we do have limited space on them and so it is recommended that you apply for the course you wish to attend as soon as possible.
Information for lawyers from the European Economic Area after Brexit
The Bar Standards Board has published some information for EEA lawyers at: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
Admission fee
The Admission fee to join the Middle Temple is currently £125. Please note that this fee is reviewed annually and changes to the fee apply from January each year.
Payment is required as part of the application process. If, for any reason, an application is not processed a full refund will be issued.
How to apply
- In order to apply for admission, you must first register on our website.
- Once you have registered, log in
- Click the link below to start your application.
If an application is still incomplete 6 months after it has been submitted (e.g. amendments were requested by the Inn and not provided) it will be cancelled
Apply for admission as a Specially Qualified Applicant
If you require assistance, please contact Sally Yorke on s.yorke@middletemple.org.uk to discuss your application further.
Termination of membership
Transfering lawyers must complete all requirements for Call as set out by the Bar Standards Board within 2 years of admission to the Inn. Failure to comply with this requirement will cause their membership to cease except where there has been a successful application to the Inn for the relevant time limit to be extended.