The main purpose of this article is to typically update the membership of what we have done in the past year. We have continued with much of our regular work, inputting into the various standing committees, being a voice for all of Hall, a constituency of well over 16,000 members made up of those who are no longer students but not yet a Bencher. On top of this work we have one major update, and it’s a big one.
From the end of this year, Hall Committee and Membership Committee will be merging. Traditionally, Hall Committee has always stood outside of the Inn’s governance structure, providing an advisory voice. Now, with the committees merging, Hall Committee will sit within the structure of the Inn. With full and equal representation to the Bench in Membership Committee, Hall members will have a substantive voice in how the Inn is run for the benefit of its members.
It’s a significant change and is one that has been the source of careful debate and scrutiny. I want to extend my personal thanks to everyone involved for the care and diligence that has gone into this. Though I will not be a part of that committee, I am confident that it will succeed and deliver for all the members of the Inn.
One way to illustrate the strength of this collaboration is the introduction of the new ‘Sherrard Practitioner Sessions’. These sessions have come through the co-operation of the Hall, Membership and Education Committees to introduce a series of CPD sessions, targeted at experienced practitioners. The topics for this exciting programme were developed by the Hall and Education Committees and then delivered by expert trainers from the Inn’s Education and Advocacy programme. I greatly enjoyed the ethics session and the incisive debate amongst practitioners as to how we each would approach challenging ethical issues. I am looking forward to the next session I am due to attend on client care, and I would encourage you all to join these insightful CPD sessions.
I would encourage you all, as I always do, to get involved with the work of the Inn. Traditionally, I would encourage you to stand in our elections, but there won’t be Hall Committee elections this year, for obvious reasons. However, moving forward, there will be committee positions available for Hall members across the range of the Inn’s business. We want to make sure people with interest and expertise fill these vacancies. The Inn’s strength comes from the contribution and strength of its members, so please make sure your communication preferences are updated, and watch your inboxes for details of the opportunities available.
As I sit down to write this, I approach the ten-year anniversary of my Call to the Bar. It is a date I recall both well and fondly, as I suspect you will do similarly of your own. On my Call day, I remember being presented with a large brown paper envelope. In it, of course the treasured Call certificate, but it was accompanied by various leaflets and flyers bearing all sorts of important information.
Amongst those papers was a one-page introduction to Hall Committee, welcoming you into Hall and introducing the Committee. I remember immediately thinking that this was a group I wanted to get involved with. I stood in the 2016 election, and I am fortunate to have served on Hall Committee ever since, spending the last few years as the committee’s Chair.
It has been a great privilege to be part of that committee and looking back ten years on, I am proud of the work that I have been involved with. Hall Committee has consistently been a voice for diversity and inclusion, championing new ways of thinking and presenting bold ideas to help drive our Inn forward. The Inn’s Harassment Policy came from discussions in Hall Committee. The LGBTQ+ Forum started as a paper in Hall Committee. These are only a couple of examples of the work the committee has contributed to over the years. It is this strong voice that I know will continue in the new merged committee.
Given this will be my final opportunity to do so, I am going to somewhat indulgently give thanks to everyone who has worked with me on Hall Committee in the last decade. I am particularly grateful to the three chairs that proceeded me, Juliette Levy, Karen Reid and Felicity McMahon. As chair, I have been grateful for their words of encouragement, support, and guidance. To my two vice chairs, Andrew Dakoutros and Mark Fraser, a massive thanks to them must be said as well; their measured counsel and calm voices have been invaluable. From the Inn’s staff, Oliver Muncey and Robert Spink will gain the benefit of full and formal shout out for their direct support of the Committee’s work. But thanks must be afforded to all the Inn’s staff for their hard work in keeping our Inn the vibrant and successful place that it is. The final thanks for me to offer is a forward looking one; to the new merged committee, for all the work I know it will do to continue to deliver for the Inn and its members.
Christopher Bates is the Chair of Hall Committee. He is an employed barrister at the Government Legal Department where he practices public and administrative law, and is also Chair of the Northern Litigation Network. Outside of work Chris enjoys a range of tabletop games, cooking, and doing his best to keep up with a somewhat precocious six year old.
