Kent Bar Mess

Kent has one of the most active and well-attended Bar Messes on the South Eastern Circuit. The annual dinner — typically held at Gray's Inn — draws close to ninety attendees, including High Court Judges and the High Sheriff, with a strong contingent from the Kent Bench and Bar. It is an occasion that reflects the particular pride the Kent Bar takes in its identity and its connections.

The Kent Bar Mess serves the court centres of Maidstone Crown Court (the Mess's principal base), Canterbury Crown Court and Folkestone — a geographically varied patch that takes in both the county town and the coastal courts, with their own distinct character and caseload. The Mess maintains its own website at kentbarmess.co.uk and has its own constitution governing membership and elections.

Membership requires proposal and seconding, with applications screened in the Bar Library or robing room at Maidstone Crown Court for at least 14 days before election. Any barrister practising regularly in Kent's courts will find in the Mess a ready professional home and a genuinely enjoyable social community.