Surrey & South London

The Surrey and South London Bar Mess covers Guildford, Kingston, Croydon and Isleworth Crown Courts.

The Chairman of the Mess is John Black Q.C. (18 Red Lion Street), Steven Hadley (1 Inner Temple Lane) is the Secretary, Andrew Turton (2-4 Tudor Street) is the Treasurer, and Sheilagh Davies (Nine Lincoln's Inn Fields) is the Social Secretary and Circuit Representative.  Members of the Committee and the juniors who represent the Bar Mess at each Court deal with a considerable number of matters which affect the interests of the Bar at the Courts which the Mess covers. The Bar Mess maintains representation on Court User Committees and Area Criminal Justice Liaison Committees in order to ensure that the interests of the Bar are represented in decisions that are made about such matters as accommodation, phone facilities, catering (a continual bugbear), listing, practice directions and the availability of P.S.R's. There are complaints/suggestion books, or boxes, at every Court and the juniors of each Court, or the Chairman of the Mess, can be contacted directly about any matter of concern.

The Chairman of the Bar Mess is consulted by the Lord Chancellor's Department about appointments to Queen's Counsel and as Recorders, by the Crown Prosecution Service about appointments to Treasury Counsel, and by other bodies which have lists of approved Counsel.

In addition to all of this the Bar is now facing the most fundamental reforms to its working practices. If those reforms are implemented, they will have far-reaching effects on the work and income of the Bar. The Bar, through the Bar Council and the Circuits, of which the Bar Mess is a part, are making representations about these far-reaching proposals. However, such representations are only seen to be credible if they are supported by a substantial proportion of the Bar, showing their support by membership of organisations such as the Bar Mess. It is therefore now more important than ever to renew or join.

In addition to all these matters, the Bar Mess arranges an annual Summer Garden Party, and an Annual Dinner held by popular demand at the Crypt of St. Etheldreda's.  The Dinner is always well attended by Judges and members alike; attendance numbers are in the region of 130-140. We are the only Mess to hold a Summer Garden Party, traditionally at Middle Temple.  This is a good time of year for members and Judges to get together before the summer break. 

These more enjoyable aspects of the Bar Mess can only continue if the membership remains at a high level.  New members are always welcome, especially as we may have to make the Dinner open to members only due to very high demand.

Membership of the Mess is now £20 p.a. which is fully tax deductible at your highest rate of tax. It is not a lot to ask for what the Mess does. Please contact Steven Hadley to request an application form.