Raising the Bar
Episodes
AI and the Bar: Opportunities, risks and the future of legal practice
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Lily Olliver talks to Saara Idelbi about the growing role of generative AI in the legal profession. They explore what tools like Ch...
Breaking Cycles: StandOut and Prisoner Rehabilitation
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of this two-part series, Finnian, Ava and I are joined by Joe Tarbert: the Head of Programmes at a criminal justice charity known as Stand...
Breaking Cycles: Vocalise and the Power of Prison Debate
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part one of this two-part series, tune in to hear about Vocalise: a student-led prison debating initiative that was founded in 2010 by two members ...
Meet the AGIS Committee (Part 2 of 2)
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Raising the Bar! My name is Hafsa, and in this two-part series, I will introduce you to your representatives on the 2024-2025 AGIS committe...
Meet the AGIS Committee (Part 1 of 2)
30 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Raising the Bar! My name is Hafsa, and in this two-part series, I will introduce you to your representatives on the 2024-2025 AGIS committe...
Thinking of changing careers and coming to the Bar?
05 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Thinking of changing careers and coming to the Bar? This episode is a must-listen for anyone thinking of retraining as a barrister. In this episode, I...
How to prepare your GDL Scholarship application
19 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Applying for a GDL scholarship? Tommy, a GDL scholar, discusses how he approached his GDL interview and prepared to demonstrate his advocacy, drive an...
How to start your legal writing career
26 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Interested in getting published? The Gray's Inn Student Law Journal is an ideal way for students to engage academically with the law, learn about lega...
How to Prepare for a Gray's Inn Bar Course Scholarship Interview
12 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you're preparing for a scholarship interview, you won't want to miss this episode! Hear from Christian, a residential scholar, on how he prepared...
How To Prepare for Gray’s Inn Bar Scholarship Interviews
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"Show, don't tell" is just one of the many tips for applicants preparing for Gray's Inn Bar scholarship interviews in Episode 1, Season 5 of Raising t...
A Student’s Guide to Arbitration
13 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Niamh explores the area of Arbitration from a students perspective. The discussion covers and introduction to Arbitration, the Gray’...
A Student’s Guide to Mooting
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Niamh talks to previous AGIS Mooting Officer Samuel Moss, to provide an in-depth insight into the world of mooting. The conversation ...
A Student’s Guide to Career Changing
05 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Niamh is joined by Charlotte Ward, who offers her perspective on the journey to the bar when transitioning from a different career. C...
A Student’s Guide to the GDL
05 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode offers advice and insight into the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) for students who have studied a non-law undergraduate degree and want to...
A Students Guide to Disability at the Bar
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This second instalment of the Raising the Bar - A Students Guide, is hosted by Ciara Church and guest Zoe Chan. Zoe is a Gray’s Inn Scholar and as...
A Students Guide to the Bar Course
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This conversation marks the first episode of the new ‘A Student’s Guide’ series on the Raising the Bar Podcast where we will discuss topics rele...
Sustainability and climate litigation at the Bar
21 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Working from home, online mediation, nett zero disputes, paperless practicing, the Greener Pledge - the pandemic has highlighted many of these issues ...
Life as a new tenant
21 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ciara chats to the original podcast host ,Alana Hughes, about her new tenancy, family law, the differences between being a pupil vers...
A talk with His Honour Judge David Aubrey QC
01 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After a break we are back with our interesting podcast series hosted by AGIS. This episode is a first for the Raising the Bar Podcast as Alana Hughes,...
Pupillage Applications demystified
24 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Pupillage Gateway opens for submissions on 5 January 2022 - a process fraught with tension and anxiety for most students for weeks as applications...
Managing your finances as a self-employed barrister
08 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Becoming a self-employed Barrister is an exciting part of the journey. What many new barristers aren’t always sure of is how to manage their finance...
Life as a new pupil barrister
18 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Pupillage marks the start of a new phase in your path to the Bar. After the months of preparation, applications, grueling interviews and stressful wai...
What to do if you don‘t get pupillage
04 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we chat to Elena Johnson, a past publicity officer of the Association of Gray’s Inn Students (AGIS) and podcast host of Raising the ...
How to prepare for the Bar Course
11 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Are you starting the Bar course soon and started wondering what it will be like? What the workload will be? Which books you must buy? Will you have ti...
All you need to know about qualifying sessions
29 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Elena Johnson is back in the host seat for a discussion with Jo Robinson (Council of the Inns of Court), Julie Carruth (Bar Standards ...
Meet the Barrister: Nancy Williams
17 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, guest host Alana Hughes, chats to Nancy Williams. Nancy specialises in three main practice areas: civil litigation, crime and family....
Remote Hearings
13 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Nia speaks to Richard Atkins QC, Head of Chambers at St Philips Chambers in Birmingham, a respected criminal barrister and Court Recor...
The art of arbitration and the annual VisMoot competition
22 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week's guest Frederico Singarajah, is recognised in the International Arbitration Powerlist by Legal 500 and Whoswholegal, amongst the most exper...
LGBTQ+ representation,inclusion and equality at the Bar
09 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What was it like being a gay man and being called to the Bar in 1989 amidst the HIV crisis and the controversial Section 28 Act of 1988? Guest host, A...
Are you worthy of pursuing the Bar?
22 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Nia Marshall chats to Mareen Mahmood and Feleena Grosvenor. Both students come from a "non-traditional" background, have experienced c...
Up close and personal with AGIS President Nicholas Leah
08 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Everything you wanted to know and more about the 2020/1 AGIS President. In this episode Nia chats to fellow AGIS Committee member and President about ...
Parenting and Caring responsibilites and the Bar/Joining the Bar as a 2nd career
25 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Wondering how to balance parenting or caring responsibilities while at the Bar or considering going to the Bar late in life as a second career? If you...
Who is the Master of Students st Gray's Inn
11 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Who is the Master of Students? Elena speaks to the Hon. Mr Justice Fordham about his path to the Bar, what spurred him on to pursue the Bar and his ...
Meet the Barrister: Sarah Gerrard
14 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever considered being a Barrister and working in the Army? Do you know what it is like to be an employed rather than self employed Barrister?...
Neurodiversity at the Bar
01 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode our new AGIS Publicity Officer and podcast host, Nia Marshall, speaks to Oliver May and Jack Boswell about their new initiative – Ne...
Undertaking Pupillage and Tenancy during Covid-19
16 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
2020 has not turned out to be the glowing start to a new decade that we had hoped, and for those starting pupillage or becoming a junior tenant it has...
Meet a Naval Barrister: John-Paul Fitzgibbon
02 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Do you love the law and the sea, or more specifically, the Navy, and wondered how you could combine the two? What does a Military Law Barrister do and...
Everything you need to know about Scholarships at Gray's Inn
19 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Scholarships – always a burning question for students looking to join the Bar. In this episode Elena speaks to David Forsdick QC, Chair of the Gray’...
Meet the Barrister: Mary Prior QC
05 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Alana chats to Mary Prior QC, an advocate for social mobility and diversity at the Bar, about her practice in homicide and serious sex...
A long journey to pupillage
14 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Pupillage – a nerve wrecking journey that can sometimes take years. In this episode Alana chats to Markus Findlay and Oliver Haswell. Markus was r...
Meet the Barrister: Prudence Beaumont
27 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Alana Hughes chats to Family Law Barrister Prudence Beaumont in Manchester. Despite a keen interest in the law Prudence did a Masters ...
How Gray's Inn has changed and modernised
13 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Laurence Cooper’s ideas on how he imagined Gray’s Inn to be like were largely as a result of a certificate which included the words “To the degr...
Meet the Barrister: Zehrah Hasan
29 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this installment of our "Meet the Barrister" series, Alana Hughes speaks to Zehrah Hasan on her path to the Bar. Zehrah was awarded various schol...
What to do if you don't get pupillage
15 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
After the stressful and exhausting process of applying for pupillage, prepping for interviews, first round interviews and perhaps even second round in...
Dealing with rejection
01 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Elena records her first remote podcast and chats to Vicky Wilson and Steve Innes on dealing with rejection, with a focus on pupillage ...
Meet the Barrister: Professor Mark Engelman
18 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Alana Hughes, our guest host, chats to Professor Mark Engelman about his route to the Bar. Mark specialises in Intellectual Property...
Up close and personal with our very own Quinn Clarke
27 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It is with a heavy heart that Gray's Inn will shortly be saying farewell to Director of Education, Quinn Clarke. We decided to get Alana Hughes to cha...
Paperless Practice - how to start with Saara Idelbi
06 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We are in living in strange times and are having to adept to a different way of working and living for the time being. A few weeks ago Elena chatted t...
GDL Scholarships - the ins and outs
17 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode current AGIS president and residential scholar, Harry Samuels, discusses GDL scholarships and his experiences with applying for schola...
Well Being at the Bar with Amy Oliver
09 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If your brain is your business as a Barrister how do you safe guard it? In this episode Elena chats to Amy Oliver about the particular challenges faci...
Pupillage Interviews - some insights and tips
17 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Elena chats to Joel Semakula about tackling Pupillage Interviews. Joel made the reserve list seven times over 2 rounds of pupillage in...
Meet the Barrister: Kevin Gordon
03 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How does one go from being a probation and aftercare officer in Jamaica, spend 6 years as a professional contemporary ballet dancer and end up as a sp...
Student Mentors
20 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered what a student mentor does and how they can help you? This week Elena chats to student mentor, Rachel Barnes, on what made her ...
Senior Scholarships
18 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What is a Senior Scholarship? Who can apply? What should you consider when applying? Elena chats to Ruby Shrimpton, a Gray's Inn scholarship recipient...
Pupillage Application Tips
02 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Pupillage Gateway opens for submissions on 7 January 2020 - a process fraught with tension and anxiety for most students. Just how does one go abo...
Gray's Inn new LGBT+ Society
25 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This year, Gray's Inn became the first of the Inns to have it's own LGBT+ Society. Gray's has long been celebrated as a diverse institution, welcoming...
Debating in prisons & schools
11 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Today on Raising the Bar, Elena finds out about two of Gray’s Inn debating initiatives; Vocalise & Griffin. Vocalise is a student-led prison debatin...
Gray's Inn BPTC Scholarships with Riaz Hussain QC
20 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The AGIS podcast Raising the Bar is up and running for the new academic year! In our first episode, AGIS publicity officer Elena Johnson speaks to Ria...
Louisa, from Blackpool to the Bar
07 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Louisa Brown a BPTC student at BPP, London joins me to discuss her journey to the Bar, all the way from Blackpool to Cambridge, to Yale and back! ...
Top Tips for BPTC Scholarship Applications
31 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This is the first episode of the brand new podcast brought to you by the Association of Gray's Inn students, hosted by Alana Hughes, discussing all th...