Introduction

For centuries, the Inn has adapted to changing times, indeed, to remain stagnant in the face of changing times is to move backwards.  Four functions, however, have always been at the centre of the Inn (not in any priority): the provider of legal education; the custodian of an old and priceless heritage collection; a membership organisation; and a property landlord.  Today, as current stewards of the Inn, we owe obligations to the past (our pensioners, heritage), to the current (Benchers, members, tenants and staff) and to the future (students and those yet to embark on a legal career).  The length of time which the current governing bodies span is years; the obligations they owe reach for centuries into the past and future.

This strategy seeks to: provide a medium-term horizon for those running the Inn today; inform choices over the allocation of resources and policy decisions; align all the Inn’s activity over a five-year period to avoid ‘silo-ed’ activity and the pitfalls involved therein and to highlight opportunity. It is axiomatic that this will involve difficult choices, for example, whether to retain a purely membership focused approach or introduce a more commercial dimension which is required to secure the Inn’s income stream.  There is no clear answer to these questions and seldom binary choices, but they will become easier to address given a medium-term plan and guide.

We will refresh this plan annually.  Any suggestions or amendments for future editions will be very welcome.

The Strategy

Vision Mission Values and Strategic Objectives​

The Vision for the Middle Temple is the following:

"The Middle Temple, as one of the four Inns of Court, exists to promote and support the rule of law throughout the Common Law world, and the fair and effective administration of justice which the rule of law requires. The rule of law is an essential cornerstone of a modern democratic society, and a strong independent and ethical bar is an essential component of it."

The Inn’s Mission is as follows:

“Middle Temple supports the Bar by supporting its members throughout their professional careers. It does this by promoting excellence in advocacy and the highest standards of professional ethics through the education and training it provides, and the collegiate ethos it instils in its members.”

In addition to our Vision and Mission, we have a set of Values which describe the behaviour all members of the Inn should look to adopt as we work to achieve our objectives and conduct our activities.

These Values are as follows:

• Middle Temple aims to be welcoming and make members and guests feel at home.
• We believe in treating our fellow members, guests, staff and visitors with dignity and respect.
• We should always consider how our words and actions may be interpreted by others and be sensitive to their perception and opinions so we demonstrate tolerance and kindness, even if the views of others differ from our own.
• We believe in equality, irrespective of individual characteristics, including gender, race, religion and belief, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, and social background.
• We believe that a thriving Bar is vital to society.
• To maintain a thriving Bar we consider that we must help attract and retain talented people from all parts of our rich and diverse society.
• We believe in a merit based approach as a way of identifying and fostering excellence across our membership.
• We want the membership of Middle Temple to be reflective of society and support proper steps to increase our membership from underrepresented groups.
• We consider that these values support our role in maintaining public confidence in the rule of law, in supporting the Bar and an independent judiciary.

Together, the Vision, Mission and Values represent the Inn’s highest-level strategy.  To guide the activities of the Inn in its routine business, we have a series of strategic objectives which are considered valid for the five years of this strategy.  They are not mutually exclusive, and none will be pursued at detriment to another. For example, the Inn will not place itself in financial jeopardy or compromise its aspiration for a budget surplus by over-committing on other objectives. Rather, taken together, the objectives seek to provide a balanced programme which seeks to develop all aspects of life in Middle Temple. The objectives are as follows:

1. To provide an ever-enriching experience to prepare students and barristers from all backgrounds, for the challenging environment in which they are working at the Bar of England and Wales, providing a platform to meet future challenges and opportunities.  
2. To seek to generate an annual financial surplus for re-investment in the future of the Inn. 
3. As a membership organisation, to support its members at all stages of their professional lives 
4. To grow the number of those who participate in events and serve the Inn for the benefit of Middle Temple and its members, now and in the future. 
5. To maintain and develop the estate to ensure it retains its position as an asset which underpins the financial future and historical legacy of Middle Temple. 
6. To fulfil the obligations of the 1608 Letters Patent to the Temple Church. 
7. To communicate more effectively with members and Benchers to highlight the current activities of the Inn. 
8. For Middle Temple Charity to become a significant source of revenue for enabling the charitable work of Middle Temple, now and in the future. 
9. To continue to preserve, curate, develop and communicate our historical legacy through the archive and heritage collections, as a resource and inspiration for colleagues, the public at large when appropriate and Middle Templars, now and in the future.  
10. The Inn will commit to providing a full legal information service and training facilities in the Middle Temple library.