The Inns of Court compared

What does each Inn have to offer students?

 

      Lincoln's Inn       Inner Temple       Middle Temple       Gray's Inn  
                                 
Architecture     The Old Hall was built in 1490 and the larger Great Hall in 1845, the same year as the library. The Stone Buildings are Regency. The largest Inn, it covers 11 acres. New education suite consisting of ten advocacy rooms and a lecture theatre was completed in 2018/19.       12th-century Temple Church (shared with Middle Temple) stands opposite the modern Hall, which was built after the original was destroyed in the Second World War and stands on the site of an ancient hall of the Knights of the Temple.       Middle Temple Hall, completed in 1572, is probably the finest example of an Elizabethan Hall in London. The Readers’ coats of arms, which can be seen on the wood panelling, date from 1597. Tucked away down the cobbled Middle Temple Lane, Fountain Court is a calm oasis.       The ancient Hall and Chapel are still intact, despite suffering serious war damage. The rest is largely a 1950s red-brick recreation of the historic pre-war buildings. The smallest Inn.  
                                 
Gardens     The restoration of the Benchers’ Border boasts an autumnal colour scheme along with the ever-popular MCR Terraces. North Gardens are also accessible for most of the week from 7am to 7pm.       Well kept and stretch down to the Thames. open to the public from 12.30pm to 3pm on weekdays.       Small and award-winning, overlooking the Thames.       The famous 'Walks' were designed by Sir Francis Bacon in the early 17th century and are open to the public during lunch hours.  
                                 
Student members     c. 650       c. 300       c. 500       c. 300  
                                 
Total membership     c. 25,000       c. 12,000       c. 6,000       c. 5,500  
                                 
Accommodation     One flat available for three pupils during their pupillage year.       Not for students.       Not for students.       15 scholars share four flats in the Inn for BPTC students – 'residential scholarships'.  
                                 
Bar     Open weekdays
10:30am to 10:30pm.
Hogwarts-esque décor.		       The Pegasus Bar is currently under refurbishment, reopening from Spring 2022.       Members’ lounge ‘Taskers’
opn 9am-8pm weekdays
serves coffee for £1.		       The Bridge Bar is above the
gateway between South
and Gray’s Inn Squares. It’s
open to members, residents
and tenants (plus their
guests) on term-time weekdays
from 8am to 11pm.		  
                                 
Famous members     • Sir Thomas More
• John Donne 
• Lord Denning
• Muhammad Ali Jinnah 
• Wilkie Collins
• Baroness Thatcher
• 15 other British Prime Ministers

       • Judge Jeffreys (of 'Bloody Assizes')
• Bram Stoker
• Mahatma Gandhi
• Dr Ivy Williams (first woman called to the Bar)
• Lord Falconer
• Lady Black
• Lady Arden		       • Sir Walter Raleigh 
• William Blackstone
• William Makepeace Thackeray
• Barbara Calvert (first woman to head a chambers)
• Helena Normanton (first woman admitted to an Inn)
• Baroness Chakrabarti
• Cherie Booth
       • Sir Francis Bacon
• Thomas Cromwell
• Dame Rose Heilbron (1st female QC)
• Lord Bingham
• Baroness Hale
• Dinah Rose		  
                                 
Points of interest     Used as a prime filming location, e.g. Downton Abbey and Wonder Woman. Offers European visits and scholarships for junior barristers to spend time in the ECJ, ICC, ECHR and the EFTA.       Inner stands out for the resources it dedicates to outreach programmes and increasing access to the Bar. The Pegasus Trust funds members in their learning about the practical workings of common law systems in other countries.       Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night enjoyed its first performance here. Hall has a table made from a hatch cover from the Golden Hind. Every new barrister signs their name in a book on this table.       The first performance of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors took place here. The ornate carved screen in the Hall is made from an Armada ship. Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt first met at dinner in Gray's Inn Hall.  
                                 
Scholarship interview process     Panel interview of three
with student sent a list of
question types beforehand.
Expect chat about preferred
areas of practice and items
of legal interest in the news.
Scholarship awarded solely
on merit, but all awards
apart from a few top ones
are means tested.		       Panel interview with set question. GDL scholars entitled to automatic funding for BPTC, but can apply for higher award. Merit and academic excellence prioritised, but all awards (save for the top ones) are means tested. Read more about the Pegasus Access and Support Scheme (PASS), which aims to open up access to the Bar and mini-pupillages in particular.       Every applicant interviewed in a 15-minute panel interview that tests a range of skills. Awards based on merit and then weighted according to financial means.       Shortlisted applicants interviewed
by a three-person
panel. Candidates are
given one or two topics to
consider 15 minutes before
the interview - but aren’t
allowed to use their phone
to Google them. Scholarships
awarded on merit,
then weighted by financial
background.		  
                                 
Scholarship money     A total of £1.8 million available.
GDL: £173k available
for up to 32 scholarships.
Values of scholarships
all means tested. Bar Course:
£1.5 million available for
around 100 scholarships.
Ten guaranteed Mansfield
Scholarships worth £25k.
Values of all other scholarships
are means tested.		       A total of around £1.88 million
available. GDL: two
major scholarships, plus
various awards totalling
£183k. Bar Course: seven major
scholarships worth between
£20k and £22k, plus further
awards totalling £1.5 million.		       A total of around £1.3 million
available. A fund of over
£1.1 million for Bar Course scholarships
and awards. A fund
of £90k for GDL scholarships
and awards. Overseas
scholarships as well.		       £1.3 million available. 70
Bar Course scholarships and
awards of up to £30k. 20
GDL awards of between £2.5k
and £12k. Various internship
scholarships and miscellaneous
awards – e.g. Hebe
Plunkett awards for applicants
with disabilities.		  
                                 
Scholarship deadlines     Bar Course: 5 November 2021
GDL: 6 May 2022

       Bar Course: 5 November 2021
GDL: Opens March 2022		       Bar Course: 5 November 2021
GDL: Opens March 2022		       Bar Course: 5 November 2021
GDL: 6 May 2022