Why are there so few women on the bench? One reason is that the inns of court are not the most child-friendly places for mothers with young children.

Hence the latest campaign from the Bar Nursery Association to persuade Middle Temple that it should lease the site currently occupied by the St Clement's Cafe to a nursery provider.

The nursery would be open from 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday and would provide childcare for around 40 children aged 0 to 5.

Victoria Butler-Cole, one of the barristers behind the campaign, says this is the best opportunity to establish a nursery that is likely to arise for some time. If the proposal is rejected by Middle Temple, she adds, the prospects of there being a bar nursery in the next 10 years are remote.