Will Waldron QC appointed Joint-Vice Chair of College of Advocacy
June 13, 2016
Will Waldron QC has been appointed Joint-Vice Chair of the new Inns of Court College of Advocacy (ICCA) run by the Council of the Inns of Court (COIC).
The College of Advocacy replaces the long-established Advocacy Training Council (ATC) as the Inns’ leading agent in the development of education and training for the Bar and the wider profession. It will be led by COIC Director, James Wakefield, a barrister who, before joining COIC, had experience in running two Bar Courses and is well-versed in the management of this work.
Commenting on Will Waldron’s appointment, James Wakefield said:
“We are delighted to appoint Will to this new, national role.
“As an experienced advocacy trainer, he is ideally placed to work with the six Circuits in developing education and training for the Bar and the wider profession.”
Will Waldron QC, who been an advocacy trainer for twenty years, said:
“I am delighted and honoured to take on the role of Joint Vice-Chair.
“With the additional staffing and resources now provided by the Inns of Court, the College of Advocacy has the opportunity to make an even greater contribution to the continuing professional development of members of the Bar.
“We also have the opportunity to become a global centre of excellence in teaching the practice and ethics of advocacy in all its forms.
“It is an exciting time to join a new organisation at the beginning of its journey.”
The creation of such a College has been under consideration for some years. It was formally proposed by the President of COIC Lord Justice Pitchford and COIC’s Director James Wakefield in a paper circulated to the Inns in March 2014, and was later worked up in more detail by a working group appointed by the Inns. The College was seen by its promoters as achieving two distinct aims: building upon the highly successful programme of post-qualification training developed by the ATC, in support of, among many other things, the advocacy and other professional training delivered at the coal-face by the Inns and Circuits; and encouraging reform of the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) long promised by the Bar Standards Board (BSB).
It plans to forge close links with the Circuits, the Specialist Bar Associations (SBAs) and the Judicial College, giving the Circuits and SBAs the opportunity to disseminate to a much wider audience, through the College’s media, the volume of outstanding educational materials which they create each year. On-line access to existing and new materials for practising members of the Bar will be improved. The College has an ambitious programme for publicising throughout the Bar its work and the active training resources it has on offer.
About Will Waldron QC
Will Waldron QC is a barrister at Exchange Chambers. He took silk in 2006 and specialises in high value personal injury claims. Will is Chair of Northern Circuit Advocacy Training. He is also a qualified mediator.
