A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales and in other common law jurisdictions which adopted English practice. A bencher can be elected while still a barrister (usually, but not always, Queen's Counsel), in recognition of the contribution that the barrister has made to the life of the Inn or to the law. Others become benchers as a matter of course when appointed as a High Court Judge. The Inn may elect non-members as honorary benchers - for example, distinguished judges and lawyers from other countries, eminent non-lawyers or members of the British Royal Family, who become known as "Royal Benchers" once elected.
The most senior bencher of each Inn is the Treasurer, a position which is held for one year only. While succession to the post of Treasurer may once have been dependent purely on seniority, this is no longer the case. The Treasurer is elected.
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Historically, the most junior student barristers were only permitted to watch moot court trials and stood within the bar of the moot courtroom. More qualified barristers (known as "outer" or "utter" barristers) were permitted to join the argument and stood outside of the bar. The most senior barristers were permitted to sit on the bench at moots. This third class of barristers became known as "Benchers" or "Masters of the Bench".
The practices and regulations vary from Inn to Inn, but the benchers are the ultimate governing body of the relevant Inn. The benchers govern the finances of the Inn, and they alone have the authority to admit students to the Bar, to call students to the Bar, and to elect other benchers. Today, the benchers of the four Inns have common standards agreed with the Bar Council. They have the power to discipline members of their Inn by suspending or expelling them from membership of the Inn, and by disbarring or disbenching them. Disciplinary duties are now shared with the Council of the Inns of Court, the Bar Standards Board and its Complaints Committee (formerly known as the Professional Conduct and Complaints Committee).
The terms "bencher" and "treasurer" originated in England, but they are also in use by the legal profession in Canada, for example by the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Law Society of British Columbia.