Mini-Pupillage
Drystone Chambers is offering 10 mini-pupillages during 2023 to those who may be interested in a career at the Criminal Bar.
Drystone Chambers is a London-based specialist criminal set with members of Chambers practising in the criminal courts in the London area and on the Midland, South Eastern and Western Circuits, which enables us to be able to offer mini-pupillage in these regions and not restricted solely to London. Outside of London our regular court centres include Norwich, Kings Lynn, Ipswich, Peterborough, Northampton, Nottingham, Lincoln, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Southampton and Portsmouth. This list is by no means exhaustive.
If you would prefer your mini-pupillage to take place on circuit rather than in London, please include your court preferences in box 6 of our application form.
Successful applicants will spend up to a week shadowing one or more of our barristers. Our clerking team makes every effort to ensure that mini-pupils see a variety of cases during the week and you can expect to be in court every day. We endeavour to provide our mini-pupils with the opportunity to attend at courts nearest their location whenever possible but this will always be subject to the work that we have available. Mini-pupils will receive up to £25 per day towards subsistence and the cost of travelling to and from the courts they will be attending during the week.
The window for mini-pupillage applications opens on 1st March 2023 and closes on 31st March 2023. Successful applicants will then be shortlisted and offered a mini-pupillage between 15th May and 1st December 2023.
Applications are made using our own Application Form. The completed application form should be submitted during the applications window of 1st March to 31st March 2023 via email to the Chambers Administrator at russell.burton-lawrence@drystone.com or if preferable, by post or hand to Russell Burton-Lawrence, Drystone Chambers, 35 Bedford Row, London, WC1R 4JH marked Private and Confidential.
Applications will only be accepted if they are made using Chambers’ application form. Chambers does not accept applications via CV or covering letter. Only the information provided on the application form itself will be used for assessment, to ensure that all candidates are marked fairly and consistently. It is not acceptable to submit an application form with only basic information that refers to an attached CV or other information.
Due to the sensitive nature of our work applicants must be aged 18 or over. Applicants need to be undertaking, or have undertaken, a degree course, the GDL or BPC. We usually receive more applications than we are able to accommodate so priority will be given to those candidates who are undertaking, or have undertaken, a Law Degree or equivalent.
We encourage mini-pupillage applications from candidates from all backgrounds, especially those not yet well represented at the Bar. We are committed to ensuring that the Bar is an accessible profession, open to those with ability regardless of their gender, ethnicity, disability, religion or economic background. As part of our commitment to ensuring a diverse Bar, we reserve four mini-pupillages for individuals who meet any of the following criteria:
• Are from a family where neither parent went to university
• Have been eligible for free school meals or come from a family on income support
• Are from an ethnic minority background traditionally under-represented at the Bar
Mini-pupils who have mobility issues, other disabilities or other commitments such as caring responsibilities, can discuss these in advance with the Chambers Administrator so that appropriate reasonable adjustments can be considered and implemented.
Unfortunately, due to the volume of applications that we usually receive, we are unable to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants.
All mini-pupils will be required to sign a confidentiality and data protection undertaking prior to commencement of their mini-pupillage.
As part of the application process, candidates are asked to complete an Equality & Diversity Monitoring form. You are not obliged to answer all or any of the questions however by providing this information you help us to ensure that our recruitment is fair and objective to all.
You may find it useful to have a look at our mini-pupillage FAQs page here.