On Wednesday 11 March 2026, Junior COMBAR with the support of the COMBAR E&D Committee is hosting a breakfast to mark International Women’s Day. This will provide an opportunity to meet other barristers in an informal setting, network and share experiences. Juniors and pupils are strongly encouraged to attend.
The breakfast will be held at Gatehouse Chambers from 08:30 to 1030. A range of continental breakfast options will be available.
Please register to attend the event here.
The third in the COMBAR, Chancery Bar Association and TECBAR series of online events for aspiring pupils will be focussing on the pupillage interview process.
Hear from a panel of Commercial, Chancery and Construction barristers discussing the interview stage of pupillage applications and providing their tips on how to develop and hone your skills before your first pupillage interview. This session will offer guidance on some ‘dos and don’t’s’ and provide some guidance on how to impress your interviewers.
Panellists:
Brenna Conroy – Keating Chambers
Judy Fu – 3 Verulam Buildings
Niamh Davies – XXIV Old Buildings
Suzanne Ter-Minassian – Serle Court
This online event will start at 5pm
The event will run for one hour to 6pm with a Q&A chat function enabling questions to be taken by the panellists.
A ZOOM link will be circulated to participants on the day.
Registration is now closed, please email admin@combar.com if you would still like to receive the link.
Charles Hollander KC will give a talk on conflicts for counsel and judges, followed by questions. Charles is the co-author of Hollander & Salzedo on Conflicts of Interest, now in its 7th edition.
This talk will take place at the International Arbitration Centre, from 5.30pm to 6.30pm
Address: 190 Fleet Street, London, EC4A 2AG
The event will be hybrid and recorded. A Zoom link will be circulated to all members closer to the event. RSVP here for in-person attendance only.
The event is open to COMBAR members and their pupils only.
The Commercial Bar Association is holding an event to encourage and support women applying to the Commercial Bar.
If you are a woman applying or intending to apply to the Commercial Bar, and would like to know what Commercial chambers look for in pupillage candidates and hear preparation tips for a successful interview, this event will be of benefit to you.
Our panel of Commercial barristers are all either relatively recent applicants for pupillage or experienced in the pupillage application process.
Panellists:
Jessica Sutherland – 7 King’s Bench Walk
Emily McKechnie – Wilberforce Chambers
Gretta Schumacher – Essex Court Chambers
Andrew Lodder – One Essex Court
This online event will start at 5.30pm.
The event will run for one hour until 6.30pm with a Q&A chat function enabling questions to be taken by the panellists.
Registration is now closed, if you would still like to receive the ZOOM link before the event starts please email admin@combar.com directly.
The Equality & Diversity Committee of COMBAR is delighted to invite you to an event to launch the forthcoming Bar Council / COMBAR Report on
Gross earnings of members of The Commercial Bar Association by sex
All COMBAR members and practice managers of COMBAR member sets are welcome and encouraged to attend. The experienced panel will discuss issues which affect all barristers, both women and men.
There will be a panel discussion and Q&A, followed by drinks, with the panel including:
Rachel Krys, Bar Council, Equality & Diversity Consultant
Sophie Lalor-Harbord, Stewarts, Partner in Commercial Litigation
Lindsay Scott, 39 Essex Chambers, Chief Executive Officer
The panel will take place in the International Arbitration Centre, from 5:30pm to 6.30pm. Drinks will follow from 6.30pm onwards.
Address: 190 Fleet Street, London, EC4A 2AG
The event is open to COMBAR members only and practice management teams of COMBAR member sets.
Please can late registration requests be sent direct to: admin@combar.com. The event will be in-person only.
Hear from a panel of Commercial, Chancery and Construction barristers on the pupillage application process focussed specifically on these areas of practice. The panel are all either relatively recent applicants for pupillage and/or experienced in reviewing pupillage application forms.
If you would like to know what Commercial, Chancery and Construction sets look for in prospective pupils and would like some guidance on how to develop and hone your application this event will be of benefit to you.
Panellists:
Andrew Lodder – One Essex Court Chambers (Chair)
Sarah Walker – Selborne Chambers
Gretta Schumacher – Essex Court Chambers
David Horwich – Atkin Chambers
This online event will start at 5pm.
The event will run for one hour until 6pm with a Q&A chat function enabling questions to be taken by the panellists.
Please register here to receive the zoom link in due course:
This panel talk will take place at the International Arbitration Centre, from 6pm to 7.15pm, followed by an opportunity to meet the speakers over refreshments for those joining in person. Tea and coffee will be available from 5.30pm. (Please note this is a change to the originally published 5pm).
Panellists:
Jamie White and Henry Goodwin – Prosperant LLP
Henry Fingerhut – Technology & Innovation Policy Manager, Bar Standards Board
David O’Mahony – 7BR and Bar Council Regulatory Review Panel
Address: 190 Fleet Street, London, EC4A 2AG
The event will be hybrid and recorded. A Zoom link will be circulated closer to the event. If you intend to join in person, please register here.
The event is open to COMBAR members and their pupils only.
Hear from a panel of Commercial, Chancery and Construction barristers discussing their journeys to the Bar and the day-to-day practice of commercial, chancery and construction law.
What makes the Commercial, Chancery and Construction bar different from other areas? Why is practice at a specialist set different? How can you find out more and gain relevant experience?
Panellists:
Laura Hussey – Atkin Chambers
Lorraine Aboagye – Essex Court Chambers
Robert Harris – One Essex Court
Maud Millar – Maitland Chambers
This online event will start at 6pm.
The event will run for one hour until 7pm with a Q&A chat function enabling questions to be taken by the panellists.
Please register here to receive the zoom link in due course:
Rome is wonderful in May. The weather is warm, but not too hot, the light is golden, and city life spills out onto the streets late into the evenings.
This conference is the highlight of COMBAR’s year, bringing together commercial barristers of all seniorities with our guest Judges, top North American and offshore lawyers and legal leaders from Rome.
This year we will be joined by Lord Leggatt of the UK Supreme Court and Mr Justice Henshaw, Judge in Charge of the Commercial Court in London as our UK judicial guests of honour.
The conference will be based at The Westin Excelsior a historic grand hotel near the Villa Borghese Gardens, a short walk from some of Rome’s finest historical attractions and restaurants. We have arranged a highly preferential group rate for a block of rooms (starting at €390 per night (exc. taxes) for single occupancy and €420 per night for double occupancy).
The conference will be packed with sessions on recent commercial topics, debates, Q&As, interactive talks and lots of networking time and fun. The programme will include an exclusive evening reception on the rooftop terrace of the Hassler Hotel (recently featured on the BBC) overlooking the Spanish Steps and the skyline of Rome. We conclude with a gala dinner in the spectacular 16th century Chiostro del Bramante Rome, surrounded by modern art and with live music. The conference is designed for partners and families to join us for evening events and enjoy a special day out exploring the delights of Rome.
Junior COMBAR members are particularly encouraged to join us with a private breakfast organised between the Judge in Charge of the Commercial Court and junior barrister attendees.
Hotel bookings using the group rate can be made here (and are fully refundable until 26 April 2026). Further details and links to registration will be published on the North America page soon.
Anna Boase KC and Georgina Peters, respectively the Chairs of the Equality & Diversity Committee and the Women’s Equality Working Group, are delighted to invite you to an event to launch the COMBAR Best Practice Guidance for Chambers: Fair Work Allocation, Earnings Monitoring and Reporting, Parental Leave and Retention and Progression
All COMBAR members are welcome and encouraged to attend. The experienced panel will discuss issues which affect all barristers, both women and men.
There will be a panel discussion and Q&A, followed by drinks, with the panel including:
Helen Davies KC, Joint Head of Brick Court Chambers
Lucy Burrows, Chair of the Equality, Diversity and Wellbeing Committee of the Institute of Barristers’ Clerks
William Mackinlay, Chambers Director/CEO of South Square
The panel will take place in the International Arbitration Centre, from 5:30pm to 6.30pm. Drinks will follow from 6.30pm onwards.
Address: 190 Fleet Street, London, EC4A 2AG
The event is open to COMBAR members only and practice management teams of COMBAR member sets.
Please register here. The event will be in-person only.
