Mentoring for Underrepresented Groups
The scheme was founded in 2020 by six sets of Chambers, including Blackstone Chambers, and expanded to ten sets in 2021.
In the first two years of the scheme about 350 prospective applicants to the Bar were matched with mentors. From 2022 onwards, the involvement of COMBAR has enabled the scheme to be expanded to more participating sets, so that more mentees can be given access to practical information about becoming a barrister and what being a barrister involves.
The aim of the Mentoring Scheme is to encourage people from groups of people who are under-represented at the English Bar, and in particular the Commercial Bar, to pursue careers as barristers. Those underrepresented groups may (non-exhaustively) include women; people from minority ethnic backgrounds; people with disabilities; LGBT+ people; people who spent time in care; and people from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.
The scheme pairs successful eligible candidates with practitioners for a series of one-to-one mentoring sessions. COMBAR also hopes to organise a pupillage interview and application workshop and a social event, to which all mentors and mentees will be invited.
Full details of the scheme can be found here.
Any other questions should be directed to the following email address:
[email protected].
Further Schemes
In addition to the “Mentoring for Underrepresented Groups” scheme, we are proud to support further social schemes which offer opportunities for experience at the bar.
These include:
- Pegasus Access and Support Scheme (PASS)
- Bar Placement Scheme
- Middle Temple Access to the Bar Awards
- Bridging the Bar
- COMBAR Inner Temple 25th Anniversary Scholarships
- Pegasus Scholarship Trust
- 10,000 Black Interns Foundation
- Bringing [Dis]Ability to the Bar (BDABar)
- British & Irish University Commercial Awareness Competition (BIUCAC)
- Bar European Group