The Middle Temple is able to make awards to members of the Inn who are unable to access financial support from the Bar Benevolent Association and who are student members of the Inn or in pupillage, or who have pupillage arranged (including where a pupillage has been deferred), to alleviate cases of serious, unexpected hardship. Their purpose is to ensure, so far as possible, that members of the Inn with the potential to succeed at the Bar are not prevented from doing so by some unexpected financial setback. The funds available are limited.
It is not possible to define in advance every situation which may qualify, but an application for an award from the Fund would be appropriate in cases where an applicant is suffering hardship as a result of the loss of income due to illness of the applicant, or the death, illness or loss of employment of a breadwinner: cases which might loosely be described as an unexpected catastrophe. Such developments are in principle unforeseen, but it is appreciated that they are not necessarily sudden.
The awards are not intended to deal with the historic debts, however large, which many students now have by the end of their academic and professional studies, or with the shortfall in funding by chambers in the rare cases where unfunded pupillages are permitted. They are not a supplement or substitute for an Inn scholarship.
Eligibility Criteria
In order to qualify for the Middle Temple Emergency Assistance Fund you must be a member or student member of the Inn. In addition, you must be:
• Attending the Bar Course or Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL); or
• In pupillage (but you must not have received a brief); or
• In receipt of a confirmed offer of pupillage that has been deferred or delayed for any reason.
Please note that in the event that you are in your second 6 pupillage and you have received a brief you will be eligible to make an application to the Bar Benevolent Association.
In addition, you will need to show that:
• You are intending to and have a realistic prospect of practising at the Bar of England & Wales;
• You have suffered some serious and unexpected financial hardship.
Application Form
To make an application, please download a form below and email your completed form to emergencyassistancefund@middletemple.org.uk, accompanied by a full curriculum vitae.
In the nature of these awards there is no closing date for applications: the committee meets to consider applications from time to time.
Financial Means Form
You will find a financial means form enclosed within the application form.
When completing the form, please give us the most accurate information you can; verification may be requested. Please provide as much information as possible and add further detail using the space provided. When making estimates please be reasonable/realistic. If you have a valid reason for a figure being more than is normally to be anticipated, please provide an explanation of this in the space provided.