England & Wales · South East
One of the six historic circuits of the Bar of England and Wales, serving barristers across London, the South East, and the South Coast.
11
Bar Messes
122
Court centres
9th November 2026
The Bar Mess, Central Criminal Court (the Old Bailey)
Joshua Rozenberg KC (Hon) gives the Kalisher Lecture in the Trust’s thirtieth anniversary year, in the Bar Mess at the Old Bailey. Free; register with the Kalisher Trust.
13th November 2026
Essex Bar Mess
The Essex Bar Mess Annual Dinner, 13th November 2026. Details on the Mess invitation.
3rd December 2026
Tempio Bar & Restaurant
The North London Bar Mess Christmas Party at Tempio, Temple Avenue: an evening of catching up with friends and colleagues.
Leader of the Circuit
Claire Davies KC
29th October 2026
Edition 2. Claire Davies KC, Leader of the South Eastern Circuit.
Members
The court directory for every court on Circuit, the Circuiteer archive, a film and training library that fills as recordings are released, and a member directory of colleagues who have chosen to appear in it.
Sign in with your own email address and we will send you a six-digit code. There is no password to remember.
Not a member yet? Join the Circuit
The Circuit
The Circuit represents members' interests with the judiciary, HMCTS, the Bar Council, the Crown Prosecution Service, and Government. Each Bar Mess feeds into court liaison and criminal justice liaison committees, ensuring that the practitioner's voice is heard wherever decisions affecting our work are taken.
The Circuit funds, organises, and accredits advocacy training across the call ranks — from pupillage onward. Flagship courses include the Timothy Dutton CBE KC Advanced International Advocacy Course at Keble College, Oxford, and scholarship-funded places on advocacy programmes in Florida.
Eleven constituent Bar Messes connect barristers to the colleagues, Bench, and court community they share their working life with. Mess dinners, wellbeing support, and a confidential mentoring scheme sustain the collegiate life of the practising Bar.
The Eleven Bar Messes
The South Eastern Circuit encompasses eleven constituent Bar Messes that serve barristers from London to the South Coast — from the Old Bailey and the great Inns of Court to the historic Crown Court centres of Canterbury, Lewes, Norwich and Oxford.
What is a Bar Mess?
A Bar Mess is an association of and for barristers practising in a particular geographical area. It is at once a professional body, a social community, and a practical resource. Each Mess maintains close links with the local Bench, participates in court liaison committees, and gives its members a voice at the South Eastern Circuit itself.
