This year’s edition is significant for several reasons. It includes the insightful inaugural speech of Master Barbara Mills, the first Black woman elected as Chair of the Bar Council, supported for the first time by an all-female leadership team: Kirsty Brimelow KC as Vice-Chair and Lucinda Orr as Treasurer. If ever proof were needed of how far the profession has come since women were first called to the Bar in 1922, this moment surely provides it.
It also marks the launch of the Inn’s new five-year Education and Training Plan. Over the next half-decade, students, pupils and new practitioners will continue to benefit from the highest standards of training in their early years of practice, while the Inn renews and expands its offerings for established practitioners. I have particularly enjoyed reading about sessions on appellate advocacy and the inaugural ‘Movers and Returners’ conference, designed to support practitioners resuming their careers after taking time away from the Bar.
In these uncertain times, the Inner Temple’s Social Context of the
Law series feels more vital than ever. This edition captures thought-provoking debates on the right to protest, the repatriation of cultural artefacts, and perverse verdicts. The series continues to provide an essential forum for reflection on the relationship between law and the society it serves.
Finally, this Yearbook marks my third and final year as Editor. For my part, it has been a privilege to work on such an important record of Inn life and to witness the depth of knowledge, skill and generosity of my fellow Inner Templars. And it has not been short of surprises: much to my amusement, I was once asked to sign a visiting American Pegasus Scholar’s Yearbook in Ye Old Cheshire Cheese. Oh, the dizzying heights of fame…
Much more impressively, it also marks Nadia Ruiz’s ninth and final year as a member of the editorial team before she moves on to pastures new. On behalf of the team and the wider Inn, I offer heartfelt thanks to Nadia for her invaluable contribution to this publication. Her insight, energy and experience will be much missed.
My thanks also go to our contributors and to Master Braun, Henrietta Amodio and the rest of the editorial team for their considerable efforts in finalising this edition.
For a final time from me, I sincerely hope you enjoy the read.
Lily Walker-Parr
5RB