How it works
Mentor process
  • Silks and judges can volunteer to become a mentor. 
  • Volunteer mentors (who meet the mentor eligibility criteria) are required to complete a mentor application form and return it to the Bar Council.
  • Once a mentor's application has been reviewed and is successful, their details (including a short biography) will be published online.
  • For further details of the process, please read the guidance document. 
Mentee process
  • Those interested in applying to become a mentee (who meet the mentee eligibility criteria) are required to complete a mentee application form. Mentees are provided with an opportunity to indicate who they would like as a mentor from the list of Silks and judges who are marked as  available. 
  • A Bar Mentoring Service representative will pair you with your preferred mentor, if feasible. 
  • The mentor and mentee will be provided with biographical information submitted as part of the application process, and with relevant contact details and guidance on getting the most out of the mentoring relationship. 
  • Periodically, the Bar Mentoring Service will contact both the mentor and mentee to ensure the mentoring relaionship is progressing. 

Please Note:  The Bar Council aims to match you to the mentor requested but this may not always be possible due to availability. For further details on the Silk and Judicial mentoring scheme, please read the guidance document. 

Apply to be a mentor

In order to volunteer as a mentor on the Bar Mentoring Service's Silk and Judicial Appointments Scheme, you will need to have:

  1. Recent experience (preferably in the last 10 years) of the competition process;
  2. An understanding of the requirements for competition applications; and
  3. A schedule permitting frequent contact with the mentee, as agreed from the outset.

Please read the Silk and Judicial Appointments Scheme's guidance document before submitting your application form. The guidance document will provide further information about the scheme and details what being a mentor involves. 

In your application we ask for a short biography, which will be published on the Bar Council's website. Your name will appear on a list of mentors for either the Silk or Judicial stream, and a detailed biography will be linked from the table to a separate page. This intended to inform interested mentees to select from the list, a mentor that best meets their needs. 


Submit your completed form by email to apply

If you are interested in the Bar Mentoring Service's Silk and Judicial Appointments Scheme but would like further information before applying, please read our guidance document. This document will inform you of the aims of the scheme, what to expect from a mentoring relationship, and the terms and conditions of the scheme. If you would like to discuss further, please email [email protected].

Apply to be mentored

The scheme is open to members of the profession who have aspirations to attain Silk or Judicial appointment within the current competition process, or within the next 18 months.

Participants should already have or be in the process of developing the following over the course of the mentoring relationship:

  1. A current practising certificate in England and Wales;
  2. Rights of audience in higher courts;
  3. Evidence of efforts to maintain a high standard of current affairs and legal knowledge in stated practice area and wider profession;
  4. Excellent written and oral advocacy skills, and
  5. At least three written referees.

Mentors will assist you through the application and interview process, offer practical assistance, and answer any queries regarding either Silk or Judicial Appointment. 

Please read through the Silk and Judicial Appointments Scheme's guidance document. The document will provide further information about the scheme and details about what you can expect in the mentoring relationship. 


Submit your completed form to us by email to apply