A career changer’s journey to pupillage

By Eliza Harris

As a ‘career changer’, my journey to pupillage has been somewhat unconventional. Having spent seven years as an actor, performing in London and worldwide, it may or may not seem like a natural leap into the world of the criminal bar. Knowing nothing about the legal world, I decided to turn up at Southwark Crown Court and sit in on a trial for the day. The rest, as they say, is history!

However, the pupillage path is not always an easy road for a career changer to travel. I had a degree from a top UK university and had trained as an actor in New York. I had life experience in abundance, but absolutely no legal experience at all. I knew this was where I needed to start if I was serious about a career at the criminal bar. I was accepted for a mini-pupillage at Drystone Chambers and several other criminal and common law sets and offered an internship at the UK-based charity Amicus, where I was later hired as a member of staff. These two experiences shaped my path to the bar significantly.

The mini-pupillage at Drystone Chambers was so insightful, welcoming and fun that it made me determined to get pupillage here. It even led to a week of marshalling with a circuit judge which gave me invaluable material for my pupillage applications and introduced me to members of the junior bar who later helped me along my journey.

Amicus works to help people on death row in America get equal access to justice and due process in their cases. They do this by raising awareness and working on cases in-house and in collaboration with many top London legal firms who donate their pro bono hours. I worked on two capital cases in different states, reviewing and summarising evidence. The most recent of these culminated in an acquittal on all four murder charges. It showed me that a fair trial, with adequate scrutinisation of all the evidence, can save a life.

However, my real epiphany came whilst doing working experience with the CPS in their RASSO (Rape and Serious Sexual Offences) unit. Challenging as these types of case are, they are in desperate need of advocates to try them; defendants and complainants are putting their lives on hold for years before having a trial. Cycling across London after my first day, I felt everything click into place in my head: this is what I was supposed to do with my life. Whether prosecuting or defending, I wanted to dedicate myself to seeking justice, especially in this area of criminal law. That realisation led me to apply for pupillage whilst doing the law conversion course.

At Drystone Chambers, throughout the pupillage application and interview process, I always felt that my life experiences and personal qualities were highly valued. The first-round interview was my first ever pupillage interview and my first ever advocacy exercise. I felt incredibly out of my depth but put my best foot forward and tried to show how determined I was to join the bar, and Drystone Chambers specifically. I was thrilled to be invited to the second round (a week-long assessed mini-pupillage). Daunting as it may sound and challenging as it was, this week was one of the best experiences of my life. It showed me what life at the criminal bar is really like and reaffirmed my determination to succeed.

When I received my offer from Drystone Chambers, I was beyond thrilled. To undertake my first ever mini-pupillage with them, marshal for a judge who used to be a member of Chambers, have my first ever pupillage interview with them, and then be offered a pupillage felt like a full circle moment. Whether you believe in fate or not, it really felt like it was meant to be. I have just started pupillage and it is everything I hoped it would be. I feel so supported and valued and cannot wait to see what the next year holds!