From the Treasurer

Master Andrew McFarlane

I first entered Gray’s Inn Hall, at the age of 17, in November 1971. I did so because my school, who were about to give me additional responsibilities, were worried that this would mean that my meagre academic achievements would dip yet further and that I might not get into university. At that time you could still read for the Bar without a degree. I had shown interest in becoming a barrister and so I was shipped off to meet the then Under Treasurer, Oswald Terry, with a view to joining Gray’s Inn.

I can recall walking into Hall from the Benchers’ entrance on that day as if it were yesterday. Oz Terry explained that Hall was ‘Domus’ and regarded by all members of the Inn as ‘home’. In the event I, miraculously, got to Durham University to read Law, but I had been so pleased and impressed with my visit to Gray’s that I joined the Inn as a student member during my first year. Since that time I, too, have always regarded the Inn as my professional home-base. This was particularly so during the Bar course year, spent at the Inns of Court School of Law, which was in Gray’s based in the buildings now occupied by the school. Without family finances to back me, and at a time when chambers did not fund pupils, I was only able to undertake pupillage as a result of support from the Inn through an interest-free loan; a facility for which I was extremely grateful at that time.

I was called to the Bar in July 1977. In those days we wore an extraordinary combination of white tie, tails, gowns and (I think) wigs on Call Night. Call was immediately followed by a dinner. No relatives or friends were permitted to attend. It was all very different to the Call Ceremonies that take place today which, to my mind, are far more inclusive celebratory occasions.

The first 15 years of my time at the Bar were spent in chambers in Birmingham (2 Fountain Court, which became one of the two founding sets that became St Philips). These were very happy and professionally satisfying years, but the geography inevitably meant that my connection with Gray’s Inn was minimal. Since moving to chambers in London in 1993 and becoming a Bencher in 2003, I have very much enjoyed being able to attend the Inn, and come ‘home’, on a regular basis.

I am pleased and honoured in equal measure to be this year’s Treasurer. I have always been most grateful to Gray’s for the friendly welcome given on that first, and every subsequent, visit and for the support that I received in my early years. I, in common no doubt with all past Treasurers, see this year as an opportunity to ‘give back’ in some small way for all that I have received.

People ask what my ‘theme’ for the year is, or what ‘changes’ I am hoping to achieve in the Inn during my tenure. Such questions are, to a degree, bewildering to me. I see my role as being a champion and supporter for all that goes on in our busy Inn, and a friend to students, members of Hall, Benchers and staff. I am not itching to impose idiosyncratic changes of my own devising, and I would much rather encourage and empower others in the Inn to develop their own ideas for our collective good.

At the start of my year I spent an hour or so with the 80 plus staff in each of the departments that support the life and work of the Inn. These were interesting meetings, which left me with a strong and positive impression of the quality of the substantial collective endeavour of the staff team.

The programme for this year started with a sell-out Mixed Mess event, joined by some 100 online, at which Master Lord Pannick KC shared his top 12 principles of advocacy. Each one, blindingly obvious and easily stated, but each, as those of us long in the tooth know, takes a lifetime to perfect.

The highlight of the summer will be a dinner, on Thursday 21 May, to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of Sir Francis Bacon, our most illustrious member during the Inn’s Elizabethan heyday. Whilst 21 May is the main focus, you can expect to see posters and other information about Sir Francis displayed in the Library and elsewhere throughout the summer, together with the vivid portrait of the great man which is already hanging in the centre of Hall below the clock.

I have taken up occupancy of the new Treasurer’s Flat, just by the archway from Lady Hale Gate, and I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible during the coming months. If you spot me, and would like to do so, please feel free to come and say ‘hello’!

Explore more from this edition

Griffin at Large

A tribute to service at Gray’s Inn, Bacon 400 celebrations, and reflections on tradition, music, governance and the people contributing to the Inn across the generations.

Gray’s Expectations or What the Dickens!

Dickens, music and mayhem collide as Gray’s Inn transforms Victorian fiction into a riotous, song-filled Miscellany.

Treasurer’s Amity Visit to Singapore and Malaysia 2025

Our enduring bond with Singapore and Malaysia unfolds through training, diplomacy and friendship, culminating in the Inn’s amity visit in September 2025.

Interrogatories Answered by the Treasurer

From theatre dreams to family justice, our 2026 Treasurer, Master Andrew McFarlane, reflects on vocation, public duty and life beyond the law in a candid interview.