I remember reading, in a P.G. Wodehouse novel, an off-hand reference that in England, at one time candidates for the Bar had to “eat their dinners” at their Inn of Court - that is, as a condition of being called, they had to spend a certain amount of time with the other members of their Inn, getting to know them in a social setting.
Is that accurate, or did old Plum exaggerate? If so, is it still the case?
Twelve are presently required, although it is possible to attend some weekend training sessions which count for one, or in some cases two dinners.
so is it just a series of dinners, or is it training sessions that end with a dinner?
Just dinners. There are training requirements as well, of course, but they are separate.
And then everything is oojah-cum-spiff.
So it’s just twelve in total? Or is the obligation recurring (e.g., twelve per year)?
It’s ten per year in Ireland, I think.
I’ve known a few people from “non-traditional” backgrounds who’ve become barristers in Ireland and they’ve all described the dinners as a deeply unpleasant experience, essentially designed to reinforce the elitist separatism of the bar. One of them told me she has Coeliac’s Disease (a very common condition in Ireland) and no provision was ever made for her. Another said that when the dinners finish, there is great pressure to continue the evening in an actual bar - and usually one not designed for people on low incomes, IYKWIM.
They’re talking about doing a few things to reform the legal training system in Ireland but I haven’t heard anything about getting rid of this particular anachronism, or even reforming it to make it more inclusive.
I was called to the Bar by Lincoln’s Inn 4 years ago.
To be called, you need to have undertaken 11 dining credits. The 12th is the call itself. Of the dining credits, the first one was the introductory lecture, which was compulsory. So, 10 left. These could be done by attending dinners. Booking was in advance (usually the dinners could be booked on the day of the Dinner itself unless booked out). You had to pay for the dinner, 25 pounds for a standard night, the price made us poor students living in Central London get fits.
You sat with other students* and at the end of the night the Gentleman Usher passed out forms, where you filled in your details and signed. The next morning you would get confirmation in an email. The dinners themselves were usually interesting.You met several people and there always was a speaker (a before dinner speaker) and many of them were people of high standing, in my time a former Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia came and it was illuminating. John Roberts came when I was there, but I was unable to get a ticket.
As far as dinners were concerned, you had to eat at least one dinner a term (there were three terms in total) and no more then six term. However, besides eating dinners, you could also get dinning credits for certain other activities, notably mooting, some school work and other training sessions. However, IIRC, of the total dining credits 6-7 had to be earned from dinners, so dinners were unavoidable. There were certain special dinners, for example “Domus Night” where the Barrister and Benchers would sit with students and Grande Day, where there would be a pre dinner entertainment, dancing and persons such as Captains of Industry, Politicians, ambassadors etc would also be invited, Gordon Brown and Princess Ann came in my time.
The Great Hall, Lincoln’s Inn was and is awe inspiring. It also serves lunch everyday and many Barrister eat there, as do student. Lunches do not have to be booked in advance and you just show up. In fact, the Inn heavily subsidized students, lower prices, we did not pay VAT (or more accurately, the VAT was covered by the Inn), which meant that a three course meal for a student came to less then 10 pounds. The food was also quite good. During exam time there would be the surreal experience whereby the Great Hall would be filled with immactly dressed Barrister and bedraggled and unshaved students.
*Except the special dinners alluded to above.
You have to pass the Bar Course at a certified provider. There are typically 12-13 exams. You need to complete 11 dining credits. You also need to undergo an interview with the Benchers of the Inn.