A member of the Inn who holds or has held any office, appointment or position with distinction; or who is appointed Lord Chancellor, Speaker of the House of Commons or House of Lords, or a Law Officer of England & Wales.
Who We Are
- The Inner Temple Today
- William Niblett - A Life Re-Examined
- History of The Inner Temple Video
- In Brief
- Pegasus Emblem
- The Archives
- Spoken History
- Admissions Database 1547-1940
- Bench Table Orders 1845-1945
- Calendars of Inner Temple Records 1505-1845
- The Christmas Accounts 1614-82
- Charles and Mary Lamb in the Inner Temple
- Grand Day
- Life in Halls: Designs of the Previous Incarnations of the Inner Temple Hall
- Gorboduc, or the Tragedy of Ferrex and Porrox
- Lord Robert Dudley, 'chief patron and defender' of the Inner Temple
- Lost in the Past : The Rediscovered Archives of Clifford's Inn
- Phoenix from the Ashes: The Post-War Reconstruction Of The Inner Temple
- The "Unfortunate Marriage" of Seretse Khama
- The admission of overseas students to the Inner Temple in the 19th century
- The Inns Of Court & Inns Of Chancery & their Records
- William Cowper of the Inner Temple
- Library Manuscripts
- The Freehold
- Paintings
- Silver
- Our People
- Work for Us
- Notable Members
Home › Who We Are › How We Operate › Bencher Elections › Other Governing Benchers
Other Governing Benchers
Eligibility for Nomination
Nomination and Application Procedure
Nominations for Other Governing Benchers may be made by any Governing Bencher in writing having particular regard to the Criteria for the Election of Benchers (BTO Appendix 5).
All nominations should be made in consultation between the Governing Bencher and the candidate and, as such, candidates are invited to complete an online application by 5pm on Friday 29 April 2022. The following information will be required for the application:
- The candidate’s personal details;
- A statement from the candidate (no more than 200 words), demonstrating their qualification for election and including details of their recent support of the Inn, having regard to Bench Table Orders (BTO) 3.2 and 3.3 and the Criteria for the Election of Benchers (BTO Appendix 5). A full copy of the BTOs is available to download on the Members’ Area of the Inn’s website here;
- Document upload of the candidate’s CV (of no more than two sides of A4) to include information presented under the following headings: brief statement of nature of professional role(s); Inn or other Scholarships gained; professional or other appointments. Please do not include personal details on the CV;
- Document upload of a photograph of the candidate (high quality and resolution, suitable for professional print, JPG format);
- The name of at least one Governing Bencher who supports the nomination;
- Document upload of a supporting reference from the Governing Bencher who supports the nomination, addressed for the attention of Master Reader, Chair of the Bencher Nomination Committee. The reference should set out the reasons in favour of the candidate being elected, having particular regard to the Criteria for the Election of Benchers. Additional supporting references from Govening Benchers are welcome. It is not necessary for the supporting references to be lengthy. Governing Benchers should, however, note that separate and full references are of assistance to the Bencher Nomination Committee. Additional references from supporting Govening Benchers are welcome. Please note, references can be uploaded to the application or alternatively sent directly by the candidate or proposing Governing Benchers by email to Jennie Collis Price at jcollisprice@innertemple.org.uk. All references must be received by the deadline of 5pm on Friday 29 April 2022;
- A declaration that the candidate is 1) a Member of the Inn; and 2) knows of no any adverse circumstances material to candidacy, whether bankruptcy or other financial problems, or pending proceedings, disciplinary offences or pending proceedings, or of any other kind of adverse circumstance. If there are any such circumstances, the candidate should provide details on the application form or to the Head of the Sub-Treasurer's Office, Jennie Collis Price, by email to jcollisprice@innertemple.org.uk. This information will be kept in strict confidence.
- An undertaking that if elected the candidate will serve the Inn in the ways set out in BTO 3.3 below:
A Governing Bencher is expected:
whenever possible to attend at Parliaments and Bench Tables;
if elected a member of any committee or sub-committee of the Inn, or nominated by the Inn to any other body, whenever possible to attend meetings of any such committee, sub-committee or other body;
to assist the Inn in carrying out the Education and Training Functions of the Inn;
to have completed recognised equality and diversity training.
We also invite candidates to complete an optional and anonymous online Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form as part of the online application to enable the Bencher Nomination Committee and Equality, Diversity & Inclusivity Sub-Committee to monitor diversity data on the point of nomination. Successful candidates will be asked to complete a further anonymous monitoring form on election so as to track diversity statistics.
Feedback will be invited from the Inn's departments on all applicants so as to provide a full picture of any previous contribution to the Inn.
Incomplete nominations or those received after the deadline of 5pm on Friday 29 April 2022 may not be considered.
Please contact the Head of the Sub-Treasurer’s Office, Jennie Collis Price, at jcollisprice@innertemple.org.uk or by telephone to 0207 797 8177 if you have any questions.
Other Governing Bencher Application Form
Please note, the application form will automatically save your details for up to 15 days provided that you are using the same computer or device and internet browser to access the application.
Review of Candidates
Each nomination will be considered by the Bencher Nomination Committee. When selecting candidates to be put forward for election as Other Governing Benchers, the Bencher Nomination Committee shall have regard to the Criteria for the Election of Benchers (BTO Appendix 5).
Candidates considered to have met the criteria will be recommended for election to the Executive Committee. If the Executive Committee so decides, such member shall be qualified for election as an Other Governing Bencher by Bench Table.
There is no limit to the number of Other Governing Benchers that can be elected.
Selection Criteria
Bench Table Order 3.3 defines the expectations of Governing Benchers as follows:
- whenever possible to attend at Parliaments and Bench Tables;
- if elected a member of any committee or sub-committee of the Inn, or nominated by the Inn to any other body, whenever possible to attend meetings of any such committee, sub-committee or other body;
- to assist the Inn in carrying out the Education and Training Functions of the Inn;
- to have completed recognised equality and diversity training.
A document outlining examples of the role and duties of Governing Benchers is available here.
When selecting candidates to be put forward for election as Barrister, Judicial or Other Governing Benchers, the Bencher Nomination Committee shall have, inter alia, regard to the following:
(a) Any specific need(s) that the Inn may have at that time for Benchers who possess the skills and interests necessary to perform one or more of its functions;
(b) The extent to which the candidate appears to possess skills and interests required by the Inn either generally or in relation to any specific need(s) identified under (a) above;
(c) The extent to which the candidate has demonstrated a strong likelihood that, as a Governing Bencher, they will make a positive contribution to the affairs of the Inn;
(d) The extent to which the candidate has taken, or is taking, any significant part in the affairs of the Inn or, more generally in the affairs of the legal profession, whether on the Bar Council, on circuit; in a specialist Bar association or the Judicial College; or otherwise.
As to (c), a strong likelihood that a candidate will make a positive contribution to the affairs of the Inn is best evidenced by previous participation in the affairs of the Inn or of the legal profession. However, it is recognised that, on occasion, circumstances may have prevented the candidate from such previous participation. In such cases, the Committee will take the candidate’s particular circumstances fully into account and will look for evidence of a real intention on the part of the candidate, if elected, to play an active part in the Inn’s affairs.
Bench Commons Subscription
Bench Commons is a subscription and invoicing system granted to Governing and Senior Benchers to encourage them to take part in events that are Qualifying Sessions for students and to facilitate participation in the social and collegiate life of the Inn. Bench Commons covers the cost of attendance for Benchers at all Qualifying Sessions and can also be used as a credit charging facility to pay for chargeable social events, for the purchase of merchandise or for car parking permits.
The Bench Commons quarterly subscription is currently £79. The standard rate of Bench Commons shall be halved for Governing and Senior Benchers whose main residence for tax purposes and (where applicable) main place of work for nine months or more per calendar year are not less than 100 miles from the Inn. Bench Commons bills are invoiced retrospectively at the end of each quarter in March, June, September and December and can be paid by direct debit.
If you would like to speak to the Sub-Treasurer about the Bench Commons Subscription, please do so by email to subtreasurer@innertemple.org.uk.