Bridging The Bar
Bridging The Bar is a UK-registered charity founded in 2020 that increases diversity at the Bar by supporting aspiring barristers from underrepresented backgrounds through training, paid internships, and outreach, partnering with 70+ chambers and 300+ volunteer barristers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Bridging The Bar does
Bridging The Bar (BTB) is a UK-registered charity (charity number 1190369) founded in July 2020 by former pupil barrister Jennifer Agyebeng, headquartered in London and operating on a virtual-first basis with periodic in-person events. Its mission is to increase diversity at the Bar, the UK barrister profession, by supporting aspiring barristers from underrepresented backgrounds. The organisation is governed by an Executive Committee and runs with a small paid professional team supplemented by a large volunteer base.
BTB's core products and programmes include the BTB Academy (the flagship, supporting approximately 100 candidates per year), the Briefed training programme, the Advocacy training programme, paid internships at elite legal institutions including the UK Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the High Court, the Law Commission, the Government Legal Department, and Advocate, as well as university outreach events targeting prospective candidates upstream. The technology stack is minimal and administrative in nature: Google Forms for candidate application collection, Microsoft Teams for collaboration, and Google Drive for document storage. There is no proprietary platform; service delivery is human-coaching and event-led.
The business model is that of a registered charity rather than a commercial enterprise. Income is generated through charitable donations and sponsorship from a network of 26 sponsorship partners and 70+ chambers of barristers. Programme delivery is enabled by 300+ volunteer barristers and judiciary members who contribute pro-bono mentoring, advocacy training, and placement supervision. BTB does not charge candidates and does not generate commercial revenue from its programmes; financial sustainability is a function of fundraising performance and institutional partner commitments.
Bridging The Bar firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bridging The Bar
- Legal name
- Bridging the Bar
- Website
- https://bridgingthebar.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Bridging The Bar is a UK-registered charity founded in 2020 that increases diversity at the Bar by supporting aspiring barristers from underrepresented backgrounds through training, paid internships, and outreach, partnering with 70+ chambers and 300+ volunteer barristers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bridging The Bar industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Legal Professional Access Programmes
- NAICS
- Professional Organizations (81392)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Advanced Project-Based Learning & Portfolio Mentoring (STEM/arts portfolios, maker projects) (EDANAKAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) & Progress Monitoring Services (EDAKADAI)
Keywords
Where Bridging The Bar is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bridging The Bar business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Charitable Donations and Sponsorship: BTB is a registered UK charity (charity number 1190369) funded by chambers sponsorship, individual donations, and partnership support. Chambers and organizations provide financial sponsorship to support the Academy programmes. The organisation also receives grant funding and has launched a BPP X BTB scholarship programme.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Bridging The Bar product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bridging The Bar (BTB) is a UK-registered charity that runs a year-long Academy programme for 100 aspiring barristers per year from underrepresented backgrounds. The programme delivers mentoring, skills and advocacy training, mini-pupillages, work experience, and paid internships at institutions including the UK Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court, and Law Commission, alongside other career-support services.
Product overview
Bridging The Bar operates primarily through its BTB Academy programme - a single unified programme supporting 100 candidates per year with a comprehensive suite of services. The Academy includes the core programme paired with multiple integrated modules: mentoring, interview advocacy training, personal development workshops, lectures (Two-part Lecture series by Elaine Banton), mini pupillage programme, paid internship programme (UK Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court, Law Commission, Government Legal Department, Advocate), online advocacy training (by Bibi Badejo), and consultancy panel access. Additionally, the BPP X BTB Scholarship provides seven £5,000 scholarships for Barrister Training Courses. The Briefed partnership delivers unconscious bias and strategic networking training.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- BTB Academy
- BPP x BTB Scholarship
Quantifiable outcome
- 4 out of 6 advocacy training participants secured pupillage
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Bridging The Bar
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Bridging The Bar technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Bridging The Bar partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
34 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- 39 Essex Chamberscore39 Essex Chambers is a commercial, construction, civil liability, sport, planning, environment, property and public law set. It participates in BTB's mini-pupillage programme and EDI initiatives, offering up to 40 mini-pupillage places per year to BTB candidates. Chambers is wheelchair accessible and a disability-confident employer.
- 3 Paper Buildings (3PB)core3PB is one of the UK's oldest and third-largest barristers' sets with over 250 barristers across 6 locations (London, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Oxford, Winchester). It participates in BTB's mini-pupillage programme and offers advocacy training.
- 3 Verulam Buildingscore3VB is a leading commercial and financial litigation set with over 90 members. It participates in BTB's Diversity Directory and offers mini-pupillage places to BTB candidates, with up to 20 places per year.
- Essex Court ChamberscoreEssex Court Chambers is a 'magic circle' commercial set specialising in litigation, arbitration, public law and public international law. It offers mini-pupillage places through BTB Academy and participates in EDI initiatives including BTB.
- UK Supreme CourtflagshipBTB collaborated with the UK Supreme Court to create the first-ever paid internship programme at the court. Eight BTB candidates completed the first internship in November 2021. The court provides paid internships, mentorship by Justices, and exposure to landmark cases.
- Law CommissionflagshipBTB partners with the Law Commission to offer paid internships to Academy candidates. Interns are assigned to one of four specialist teams (public law, commercial law, criminal law, property and trust) and undertake research projects presented to the team.
- Court of AppealflagshipBTB partners with the Court of Appeal to provide paid internships. Candidates work alongside Judicial Assistants, attend hearings, and have roundtable discussions with Lords and Ladies Justices.
- High CourtflagshipBTB partners with the High Court to provide paid internship placements for Academy candidates alongside Supreme Court and Court of Appeal interns.
- Ministry of JusticecoreThe Ministry of Justice is listed as a paid internship delivery partner, offering internship opportunities to BTB Academy candidates.
- Government Legal DepartmentcoreThe Government Legal Department partners with BTB to offer paid internship programmes to candidates as part of the Academy's internship portfolio.
- Advocate (Bar Pro Bono Unit)coreAdvocate (the Bar Pro Bono Unit) partners with BTB to deliver paid internship opportunities for aspiring barristers from underrepresented backgrounds.
- BPP UniversitycoreBPP University has partnered with BTB to offer the BPP X BTB Scholarship: seven £5,000 scholarships for BTB candidates commencing Bar Training Courses in 2026/2027 cohorts.
- 4 Pump CourtcoreListed as a sponsorship partner providing support to BTB's programmes.
- 4 New SquarecoreListed as a sponsorship partner providing support to BTB's programmes.
- Fourteen ChamberscoreListed as a sponsorship partner providing support to BTB's programmes.
- Four Brick CourtcoreListed as a sponsorship partner providing support to BTB's programmes.
- 7 Bedford Row (7BR)coreListed as a sponsorship partner. Founder Mass Ndow-Njie is a practising barrister at 7BR.
- Atkin ChamberscoreListed as a sponsorship partner providing support to BTB's programmes.
- Blackstone ChamberscoreListed as a sponsorship partner. Mat Swallow, Deputy Chambers Director of Blackstone Chambers, serves on the BTB Executive Committee.
- COMBARcoreListed as a sponsorship partner providing support to BTB's programmes.
- Fountain CourtcoreListed as a sponsorship partner providing support to BTB's programmes.
- Gatehouse ChamberscoreListed as a sponsorship partner providing support to BTB's programmes.
- Keating ChamberscoreListed as a sponsorship partner providing support to BTB's programmes.
- Littleton ChamberscoreListed as a sponsorship partner providing support to BTB's programmes.
- Pump Court Tax ChamberscoreListed as a sponsorship partner providing support to BTB's programmes.
- Serjeants InncoreListed as a sponsorship partner providing support to BTB's programmes.
- Twenty EssexcoreListed as a sponsorship partner providing support to BTB's programmes.
- BriefedminorBTB partnered with Briefed to provide unconscious bias training and strategic networking training to the 23/24 cohort. Over 82% of candidates rated the training as 'very good' or above.
- Gray's InncoreListed as a sponsorship partner providing support to BTB's programmes.
- Middle TemplecoreListed as a sponsorship partner providing support to BTB's programmes.
- Hallinan Blackburn Gittings & NottminorListed as a paid internship delivery partner in collaboration with BTB.
- Francis Taylor BuildingcoreListed as a founding partner providing support to BTB's programmes.
- Normanton ChamberscoreListed as a founding partner providing support to BTB's programmes.
- One Essex CourtcoreOne Essex Court provides advocacy training to BTB candidates, including sessions on skills needed for pupillage interviews.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Bridging The Bar competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Rare: UK charity focused on supporting students from Black heritage and other underrepresented backgrounds to enter the legal profession. Operates a similar access-programme model in the same UK legal market and competes for the same chambers sponsorship pool and candidate demographic.
- Bright Network: UK graduate careers network connecting students from a range of backgrounds with employers across multiple sectors including law. Closely comparable GTM — community-led candidate engagement, employer/chambers partnerships, cohort-based delivery — with partial overlap on legal-sector candidate funnel.
- Aspiring Solicitors: UK non-profit delivering events, mentoring, and work experience to underrepresented aspiring solicitors. Closely analogous model — access programme, chambers/firm sponsorships, mentoring, mini-pupillage equivalents — but focused on solicitors rather than barristers.
Broad incumbents
- Sutton Trust: UK charity focused on social mobility in education, particularly access to leading universities and professions. Wider in scope than BTB but operates in the same social mobility space, with overlapping funder relationships and policy influence.
- SEO London: UK charity providing mentoring, internships, and career access programmes for students from low-income and underrepresented backgrounds. Comparable access-programme delivery model but spans multiple sectors, not specialising in the legal profession.
- The Prince's Trust: Major UK youth charity supporting education, training, and employment access for disadvantaged 11-30 year olds. Operates at much larger scale than BTB and across all sectors, but shares a similar mission around removing barriers to professional careers.
Others
- Bar Council: The representative body for barristers in England and Wales. Runs its own diversity and access initiatives (including the '#IAmTheFutureOfTheBar' campaign BTB has collaborated on) and is a key stakeholder/funder-adjacent organisation for the Bar diversity agenda.
Emerging players
- The 93% Club: UK student network for state-educated students targeting top universities and graduate employers. Comparable target demographic (state-school educated, underrepresented) and comparable community-led GTM, but broader in scope beyond law.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Bridging The Bar social profiles
Digital presenceBridging The Bar financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bridging The Bar leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Bridging The Bar funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bridging The Bar M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bridging The Bar
What does Bridging The Bar do?
Bridging The Bar (BTB) is a UK-registered charity that runs a year-long Academy programme for 100 aspiring barristers per year from underrepresented backgrounds. The programme delivers mentoring, skills and advocacy training, mini-pupillages, work experience, and paid internships at institutions including the UK Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court, and Law Commission, alongside other career-support services.
Is Bridging The Bar a public or private company?
Bridging The Bar is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Bridging The Bar founded?
Bridging The Bar was founded in 2020. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Bridging The Bar based?
Bridging The Bar is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Bridging The Bar make money?
One revenue line is on record: charitable Donations and Sponsorship.
Who are Bridging The Bar's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Rare, Bright Network and Aspiring Solicitors. Broad incumbents are Sutton Trust, SEO London and The Prince's Trust. Bar Council is listed as an others. The 93% Club is listed as an emerging player.
Does Bridging The Bar have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bridging The Bar.
What industry is Bridging The Bar in?
Bridging The Bar's product category is Legal Professional Access Programmes. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDANAKAI, Advanced Project-Based Learning & Portfolio Mentoring (STEM/arts portfolios, maker projects), with a secondary code of EDAKADAI, Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) & Progress Monitoring Services. Its NAICS code is 81392 and its SIC code is 8111.