One of the four Inns of Court that have the exclusive right to call students to the Bar, Middle Temple has the education, training and support of student barristers at its heart, but also serves as a professional society for its members worldwide. Members of the Inn’s Governing Body are known as Masters of the Bench – or Benchers – and are responsible for the governance of the Inn.
While the majority of the Inn’s Benchers are King’s Counsel or members of the judiciary, Middle Temple also elects distinguished individuals from other walks of life who have excelled in their profession as Honorary Benchers. Today, Professor Rosie Harding becomes one of those distinguished individuals, having been unanimously elected as an Honorary Bencher and called to the Bench at a formal dinner in Middle Temple Hall.
I am humbled to have been elected as an Honorary Bencher of Middle Temple, and look forward to contributing to the Inn, particularly in their support of students forging a career at the Bar.
Professor Rosie Harding, Professor of Law and Society at Birmingham Law School
Professor Harding’s research explores how law works in everyday life, with a particular focus on social justice and human rights. Her current research focuses on increasing the accessibility of legal services. A recipient of the Philip Leverhulme Prize for Law in 2017, and a British Academy mid-career Fellow in 2016, Professor Harding was Chair of the Socio-Legal Studies Association from 2017 to 2022 and is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. She is a Trustee of Changing Our Lives, a West Midlands-based disability human rights charity.
