Four new Governors appointed at The Inns of Court College of Advocacy

The Trustees of the Council of the Inns of Court (COIC) and Governors of The Inns of Court College of Advocacy (ICCA) are delighted to announce the appointment of four new Governors of the ICCA. 

The new appointments are Mrs Justice Maura McGowan – Judicial Governor, who will take up post on 1 January 2023; Christopher Melton QC – International Governor, Dominic Nolan QC – Lincoln’s Inn Governor, and Richard Wright QC – Vice Chair (Circuits) who all take up their post on 1st May 2022. 

“Every one of the new governors has deep experience as an advocate, a trainer of advocacy, and a leader in the profession. We are fortunate to have them joining us to help shape the ICCA’s strategy. Our aim is to give advocates at every level access to brilliant and innovative professional training. Having governors with such dedication and experience is crucial.” 

Paul Stanley QC (Chair of Governors) 

The Trustees and Governors would like to thank Alistair MacDonald QC, HHJ Stephen Murch, Will Waldron QC who will be stepping down at the end of April 2022, and Lady Justice Geraldine Andrews who will be stepping down end of 2022. All were founding Governors and played an instrumental role in establishing the ICCA as a higher education provider and in introducing a highly innovative, flexible and accessible Bar Course. They oversaw the creation of ground-breaking courses for practitioners including Advocacy for Children and Vulnerable People and Advocacy for Children in Conflict with the Law. 

Established in 2016 the ICCA is the educational and training arm of COIC.  The Board has 12 Governors comprising the Chair, Vice-Chairs, one representative from the each of the Inns of Court, a legal academic, a judicial Governor, one lay Governor (professional education) and one lay Governor (finance).  The day-to-day operations are undertaken by a professional team, overseen by the Dean. 

The ICCA works with the profession to provide education, leadership, guidance, and coordination in relation to the pursuit of academic and professional excellence for the Bar.  The organisation has three key areas of focus: 

• Promotion of the highest standards of advocacy and professional ethics. 
• Development of high-quality educational materials for Bar students, pupils, and barristers at all levels of seniority. 
• Delivery of the ICCA Bar Course, validated by King’s College London. 

Learn more about the work of the ICCA including the ICCA Bar Course, and access free post-qualification training resources and materials.