What do Thatcher, Blair, Asquith, Gandhi and Jinnah have in common? They all studied to qualify as barristers at the Inns of Court School of Law. The fact that Gandhi and Jinnah – the founders of India and Pakistan respectively – did so is emblematic of the fact that influential lawyers from many Commonwealth countries are linked to the UK by the common experience of having studied for the Bar in London.
This is a valuable ‘invisible’ asset for the UK. At home, the Bar is often criticised for its lack of diversity. This is a matter of legitimate concern, especially since the higher judiciary is still drawn predominantly from the practising Bar. Much of the problem arises because of the failures of secondary education to ensure that students from non-privileged backgrounds achieve their potential. Nonetheless, some of the best students from such backgrounds have, through energy and drive, made it to and prospered at the Bar, despite the disadvantages they may have encountered in the educational system along the way. Sadly, a couple of years ago the Bar Council proposed reforms to the process of qualification which, if they were to come to pass, might not only destroy the basis for the unique Commonwealth network of London-trained lawyers but also make it harder for students from non-privileged backgrounds to get to the Bar.
