By Ross Ludlow
Being perfectly honest, I cannot express how lucky I feel to never have to go through the pupillage application process again. It is a long, daunting, and exhausting process, and often when you finally get to the end of the months of hard work on top of your studies/job…you have to go through it all again in a few months’ time. And that’s after all the years of grafting, and thousands of pounds spent just to get to that stage. I do not envy you, reader.
But, as someone who has recently gone through it and come out of the other side, let me tell you it is so, so worth it. This job is an absolute privilege, and the junior Bar is crying out for enthusiastic and committed young Barristers like yourselves. So please do not be disheartened by the process to get there.
To help, I have put together a shortlist of 4 things which, looking back, I wish I had known when I was in your shoes battling the dreaded Gateway.
- You have to know why you are applying for that set. For a lot of my applications, the honest answer to the inevitable “so, why do you want to join our Chambers?” was simply “…because you’re offering a pupillage and I really want one”. Needless to say, I was not offered interviews at any of those sets. Chambers will be able to tell from a mile away if you’ve applied to them for the sake of it. You must have good reasons. Things to look for are:
i. Are they recruiting pupils with a genuine view to tenancy? I.e. how much of a commitment do Chambers make in their pupils by way of training, support, social events, that sort of thing.
ii. Practice areas – do they align with your own interests and ambitions? Do they do work in other areas you might like to build a practice in?
iii. Likewise, look at recent cases – are they regularly receiving good instructions in interesting cases?
iv. Practice locations – is there an option to build a practice in a certain part of the country? If that’s appealing to you of course.
v. Reputation – have you heard good things about that set in legal directories, robing room conversations, or is there anyone practising there that you know of or have seen in action in court?
It is a subjective question, and the answer should be obvious to you. You will naturally have favourites, you just need to work out why they are your favourites. You must ask yourself what it is you want to get out of Pupillage (no, not just a practising certificate! More than that), and whether or not you will survive or thrive at that set. By all means, there is no harm in speculative applications, but don’t be surprised if you don’t get invited to an interview there.
- *Stating the obvious klaxon* – You have got to be committed to the job. It sounds obvious, but you would be surprised. It’s a very tough job which can be brutal at times, particularly at the Criminal Bar. From the early stages many people do drop out of this career for various, and understandable, reasons. Chambers will only take you seriously if they are confident you will see it though. Think how you can demonstrate that – being candid about the job and why you want to do it, and going in with your eyes open to the challenges, are key.
- Don’t be afraid to showcase your non-legal experience. So often, applicants worry too much about only having done one mini pupillage, or one moot/debate, etc. Yes, those things demonstrate key skills a barrister needs, and a commitment to and interest in the legal world, but everybody will have done something like that. Ask yourself, what makes you stand out? These things are what make your application memorable, and showcase your personality. Almost any experience can be used to demonstrate some skill or attribute which makes you a good pupil/barrister, so be creative (within reason of course). If you can explain it in a persuasive way, that demonstrates good advocacy -which is our entire purpose as advocates. Double win.
- Be resilient. I have saved my most important tip for last. Don’t be disheartened if you don’t get as many interviews as you were hoping for, or not with the set you really want to join. It took me 3 years of applications, but I have ended up at a set that I can’t see myself ever wanting to leave. One of the best silks I have ever worked with told me it took them 6 years to get their offer! Tenacity and resilience are key skills that a Barrister needs (you could be the most effective advocate the world has ever seen, but if you lack resilience, you won’t be successful). Asking for feedback, being honest about the weaknesses of your application and demonstrating pro-active steps taken to resolve those in-between application rounds will only make you a stronger candidate next time, and demonstrates your resilience and commitment to this job.
If you aren’t successful, get up, dust yourself off, keep your head up and go again.
I hope you have found the above helpful. All that remains is to wish you the very best of luck, and I hope to see you in a robing room very soon.
