Qualifying Sessions

There are four Legal Terms: Michaelmas, Hilary, Easter and Trinity. The Inn holds qualifying sessions during each Legal Term. The number of qualifying sessions in each term varies, with the Easter and Trinity terms having the fewest events. Do plan ahead and think carefully about which qualifying sessions you wish to attend so that you do not need to fit a large number in at the end of the academic year. Please note that it is not possible to obtain all 10 of your qualifying sessions in the Trinity term.

The Inn offers a variety of qualifying sessions. Please note the Inn operates a flat rate per qualifying session plus a small premium for events that include meals/accommodation. You can find the rates and descriptions for the 2020/21 academic year below:

Latecomers will not be credited with the qualifying sessions available. You should arrive promptly and allow ample travelling time. For all qualifying sessions (including online sessions) there is an arrival time when registration takes place and a start time when the event will commence. If you arrive at or after the start time you will not be credited with the qualifying session. Please see our booking, cancellation and attendance policies for qualifying sessions here.

For all events you must stay until the end, including the drinks reception or dinner in order to receive the qualifying session credits. For online sessions, you will be permitted to leave when told by the staff or your tutors that the session has finished. The finish times in the table below are provided as a guide and may vary

The Inn has the power to grant waivers for lateness and non-attendance at the required number of qualifying sessions. However, these waivers are only granted in truly exceptional cases. Should you wish to apply for a waiver you must email booking@lincolnsinn.org.uk. You will need to explain as fully as possible the reason for your application and the circumstances that you believe are exceptional.

Usual timings for qualifying sessions are below. Finish times are provided as a guide and may vary.

Dining remains an important element of the social and collegiate life of the Inn. While dining on its own is no longer part of the formal qualification for Call to the Bar, the Inn still offers a number of opportunities for members to dine in the Hall throughout the year, as well as other social activities. These include Grand Day, Guest Nights, Sunday Luncheon, the Family Day and the Garden Party. Some social events are only open to benchers/barristers but the majority are also open to student members.  Details are advertised on our website and in the members’ newsletter.

In addition, the Inn’s Students’ Association arranges a number of social activities each year specifically for students. There are also a couple of types of qualifying sessions that include a dining element, namely Lecture & Domus Dinners and Debate Dinners. Before dining please read this document regarding dining customs.

The Inn organises three residential weekends per year. Only students currently undertaking the Bar Course are eligible. It is recommended that you attend one of these weekends as they are a good opportunity to meet benchers and barristers of the Inn in an informal setting. However, the weekends are heavily oversubscribed so selection is by ballot.

Each weekend includes talks on different areas of law and advocacy, question and answer sessions with practising barristers, judges and pupils and criminal and civil advocacy sessions. These weekends are hard work and you are required to prepare for them and participate fully but they are also very useful and a lot of fun.

The residential weekends for 2020/21 are below: