What We Are Looking For

Successful candidates for pupillage must demonstrate the ability and motivation to succeed in the areas of work our members specialise in.

The aim of our selection process is to allow candidates to show they meet a standard of excellence judged by our selection criteria. Our criteria are objective and we welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds and from all universities. The process focuses on your ability and aptitude, and our experience is that this is not pre-determined by the place that you studied, or the background that you come from.

In assessing candidates against our criteria we recognise that pupillage is itself a training process and that people follow different routes to pupillage and are often at different stages of their legal education. It is the potential of candidates we are concerned with. The aim of pupillage is to develop talent so that pupils go on to succeed as tenants in our chambers.

Selection criteria

In considering prospective candidates for pupillage or mini-pupillage, we concentrate on four criteria:

Evidence of the requisite intellectual ability, as distinct from pure legal knowledge. At this stage intellectual ability is usually measured by performance in university and school examinations and at interview and other experience. We may also require applicants to complete a piece of written work during the course of the selection process.
Potential as an advocate both in oral and written advocacy.
Personal qualities such as self-reliance, independence, integrity, reliability and the capacity to work effectively with clients, colleagues and Chambers’ staff.
Motivation to succeed in a career at the Bar, including the steps taken to acquire the personal qualities required of a barrister.
For further detail regarding selection criteria please see here.

Equal opportunities

We observe a policy of equal opportunities and select our mini-pupils, pupils and tenants on merit alone, irrespective of race, gender, age, sexuality, religious belief, disability, marital status or background.

Tenancy offers

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, regardless of issues such as accommodation or work available. 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.