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A pupillage at 4 New Square Chambers will give you a real insight into what it is like to practise in a leading commercial set of chambers.
Our barristers have a strong reputation for commercial litigation, professional negligence, construction, costs litigation, professional discipline, financial services, insurance work, international arbitration, sports law and public law. Our aim is to recruit four new tenants each year and it is our express intention, wherever possible, to source those tenants from our own 12 month pupils. As it is our hope and ambition that each of our pupils should reach the required objective standard for tenancy, it follows that our general recruitment practice is to select an average of four 12 month pupils each year. We do not stream our pupils and each has an equal prospect of securing a tenancy.
The total annual award is £90,000 (for pupillage commencing 2026), of which £10,000 is paid immediately upon acceptance of the offer and a further £20,000 can be drawn down during the BPTC year. Pupils are allowed to keep any earnings from their second 6 months.
To assist new tenants to start their careers after pupillage on a sound and stable footing we provide guaranteed minimum earnings for the first 3 years of practice (£95,000 in year 1, £105,000 in year 2 and £115,000 in year 3). These earnings are normally exceeded by a considerable margin. To assist with cash flow, guaranteed earnings are paid in 12 equal monthly instalments in the first year of tenancy.
Room rent is not charged in the first year of practice and is subsidised in the second year.
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Successful candidates for pupillage must demonstrate the ability and motivation to succeed in the areas of work our members specialise in.
At the beginning of the pupillage year, each pupil will be introduced to as many of the members of Chambers, clerks and staff as practicable.
We believe that great barristers, great clerks and great staff members can come from all walks of life.
Yes, we encourage you to come into chambers every day as it will give you a chance to meet more members of chambers and take part in chambers’ activities.
We endeavour to ensure that all pupil supervisors are regularly in chambers. However, it is likely that your pupil supervisors will sometimes work remotely. We ask pupils to come into chambers as other members of chambers as well as staff will be around to assist.
Whilst it is not essential to have done a mini-pupillage, we encourage potential applicants to do this. Life at the Bar is rewarding but demanding and a mini-pupillage will help you decide whether you really do want to join the Bar.
As well as the information on our pupillage page, there are various online resources available including Chambers Student, Legal Cheek, TargetJobs and LawCareers.net.
We cannot guarantee that any pupil will be offered a tenancy, but we recruit by objective standards, and any pupil reaching those standards will be taken on. We give every assistance to pupils who have not been offered a tenancy when seeking places in other chambers. We also find that our former pupils are sought-after by good firms of solicitors.
“As a pupil, I got to see a wide range of work in almost all of Chambers’ practice areas, including commercial litigation, professional negligence, civil fraud, construction, and public law. The work I did during pupillage felt particularly rewarding because I got to assist with ongoing cases, and could see the impact of my work on the ‘final’ product produced by my supervisors (whether that be a piece of written work or attendance at a hearing).
I felt that Chambers and my supervisors were particularly supportive in making sure I got to see different types of work I was interested in. It was a very positive environment because everyone involved in the pupillage process genuinely wanted to help with my professional development, and wanted to help me succeed. Members of Chambers were always happy to answer my questions, particularly when I needed guidance in handling my own cases during my second six.”
– Kelly Yu
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