The MTSA is all pre-Call members of our Inn, and everyone is automatically enrolled upon joining Middle Temple. We have a committee of seven voted in every year to handle the provision of events and opportunities for the student body. I hope some of you reading this are familiar with us already, but for those who aren’t – keep your eyes out.

As to things we’ve done this year:

Having a Ball

In December 2023, we hosted the most successful Christmas Ball in years. Open to all four Inns of Court, our black-tie optional evening had all the classic trappings of a successful Christmas party: canapés, a free-flowing bar, music, a photo booth, a raffle – and even a birthday! We were delighted to see such a strong turnout. Fingers crossed our upcoming summer social events will beat it.

Victory at the Inner Temple Intervarsity Debate

We were delighted to enter two teams into Inner Temple’s Intervarsity Debate, and even more delighted that MTSA members Conor Scott and Lucy Bleichroeder won! It was an excellent day for us, and we were very grateful to take part against talented representatives of other Inns and law schools. We look forward to the upcoming Munroe Cup this summer, which is mid-organisation as I write this.

Moots, moots, moots (and a negotiation)

Our Mooting Officer, Alice, has worked hard to consistently provide mooting opportunities for MTSA students throughout the year. Middle Templars have performed at King’s College London and London School of Economics in competition law and gender equality human rights matters, and a Middle Temple team won awards in the Worshipful Company of Arbitrators’ Negotiation competition! We have been active promoters of BPP Dispute Resolution Society’s Negotiation competition and upcoming Four Institutes Moot and will hopefully be entering at least two teams in this year’s 4 Pump Court Pride Moot. I’m sure that right now Alice is filling my MTSA inbox with more opportunities to promote, alongside those that Middle Temple itself provides. Good luck to all competitors.

Keeping students connected

A personal high point for me has been the improvement of MTSA Communications. Despite being soft locked out of the MTSA LinkedIn (at present I am receiving customer support emails in French, bizarrely), this year has really marked a greater move towards a truly interconnected student body.

Alongside a rebrand of the visual media used on our Instagram (@mt.students) and X (@MTStudents), this year has seen the successful launch and moderation of a mass student WhatsApp group, serving as a forum for MTSA members to stay in touch wherever they may be, and providing direct access from committee members to all students with events, opportunities, and news about things happening at the Inn. 

I am proud to have spearheaded this approach to greater interconnectivity and am excited to see how I can bring this ethos forward into more MTSA and Middle Temple initiatives.

A word from me

I feel honoured and privileged to take a lead for the student body as part of this year’s committee. It took a lot for me to come down to London from up north, and I really think the Inn has been a welcoming place to be over the past few months. It has been so rewarding to see so many people come out of their shells and take the time to enjoy all that the Inn has to offer. It can be a hard, lonely process studying the GDL and Bar Course, so I hope you all take the time to enjoy the community spirit at Middle Temple.

You can find the MTSA on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), but we’re easiest to reach via our WhatsApp group, which can be found by using Linktree on our socials. 


James is an aspiring barrister with particular interests in construction, planning, public, and sports law. He read law at the University of York before moving to London to train for the Bar and is currently finishing the LLM component of his integrated BTC. 
He is the 2023-2024 MTSA Communications Officer and regularly volunteers outside of this role to support other Middle Temple activities and initiatives. 
When not studying or working, he can be found most often playing guitar.