This Saturday is the Pupillage Fair and in celebration of this, our junior tenants are sharing their insights into pupillage life generally, and at Drystone Chambers

The Pupillage Fair

On Saturday 18 October 2025 The Bar Council’s Pupillage Fair takes place at  Convene, 133 Houndsditch, London, EC3A 7BX. Those aspiring criminal barristers attending will have the opportunity to speak to our team below, and other members of Chambers and staff, who will be on hand all day to provide advice, insights and plenty of inspiration! You will find us on Stand 55 so please come and say hello.

To help aspiring criminal barristers gain an insight into pupillage life generally and here at Drystone Chambers, our junior tenants (and previously our pupils) have written short stories about their experiences on their personal journeys to pupillage, which we hope provides a useful insight.

My ‘persistent’ journey to the Criminal Bar – Lidia Iancu
An against the odds journey to pupillage – Anisa Kebbati
My journey to the independent Criminal Bar – Adam Furze
A career changer’s journey to pupillage – Eliza Harris
A black woman’s inspiring journey to success at the criminal bar – Kenniesha Stephens
Pupillage applications – what I wish I knew – Ross Ludlow
Reality of pupillage at the criminal bar – Alex Shanks
My criminal pupillage experience at Drystone Chambers – Sophie Clifford

About Drystone Chambers

Drystone Chambers is a London-based criminal set consistently featured in the Legal500 and Chambers and Partners legal directories. Chambers has earned an outstanding reputation in criminal litigation and also in the fields of regulatory and professional discipline law.

Drystone Chambers is committed to providing opportunities to the most talented pupil candidates regardless of background or any protected characteristic. We are a member of the Pupillage Gateway and accept applications within that timetable.

Our commitment to the growth and development of the junior criminal bar through pupillage is demonstrated by our actions. In October 2023 we took three pupils, all of whom were offered tenancy upon the completion of their pupillages, becoming Members of Chambers October 2024. In October 2024, we took two pupils who successfully completed their pupillages, becoming Members of Chambers in October 2025.  Also in October 2025, we welcomed five new pupils. We have therefore provided 10 pupillages in the last three pupillage recruitment years. It is also important to understand that, unlike other chambers, there is no competition between our pupils, meaning that if our pupils make our grade at the end of their pupillages, they will be offered tenancy. By way of example, lets say our five new pupils demonstrate their value at the end of pupillage, then five tenancies will be offered. We are passionate about the development of our pupils and provide every opportunity and encouragement through high quality training and supervision, for them to succeed. It is accurate to say that not all chambers share our philosophy when it comes to  the recruitment and treatment of pupils.