Name: Christian Weaver Organisation: Garden Court North Role: Barrister Based: Manchester Trained at: Garden Court North Year qualified: 2012 What is your most vivid memory from being a pupil? Certainly the Covid-19 pandemic. It was a profound sad time for so many. On reflection, however, it perhaps did have some unexpected career advantages as a pupil. Firstly, Covid-19 […]
As private practice firms continue to increase NQ pay in a bid to match the competition, magic circle chambers are unmoved. The past year has seen a consistent rise in pupillage awards across the Bar. However, as the quest to attract the best pupils continues and awards reach figures as high as £100,000 in some specialist […]
Name: Jason Beer KC Organisation: 5 Essex Chambers Role: Head of Chambers Trained at: 5 Essex Chambers Year qualified: 1992 What’s your most vivid memory from being a pupil? It was the first two weeks of my second-six pupillage. I was sent along to take a note on behalf of the police service at a high-profile inquest for those two […]
Chambers are assessing whether to increase their pupillage salaries ahead of the next application window, after a year of hikes across the largest sets.
Unconscious bias rules broken after Bar Council’s Pupillage Gateway portal malfunctions.
Name: Farhaz Khan KC Organisation: 3 Verulam Buildings Role: Barrister Location: London Trained at: Outer Temple Chambers Year qualified: 2005 Read his Hot 100 profile What’s your most vivid memory from being a pupil? During law school I volunteered at Toynbee Hall LAC in Whitechapel and represented a whistle-blower in the Employment Tribunal (ET). The […]
“Politeness and kindness costs nothing and is a powerful tool as well as the right way to behave.”
I’ve been reflecting on the journey and sacrifice aspiring lawyers make to qualify as solicitors or barristers in England and Wales. Many of my friends and peers are still in the trenches fighting for their legal dream, so I want to take this opportunity to highlight the modern struggles of aspiring lawyers in 2023. The […]
A leading commercial chambers has become the first magic circle member to boost its pupillage award to £80,000 amid fierce competition for new barristers. One Essex Court will increase its pupillage award from £75,000 to £80,000 for those starting their training in October 2024 or 2025, The Lawyer understands. One Essex Court’s pupils also receive […]
With the pay war for newly qualified (NQ) lawyers raging, several commercial chambers have reignited the battle for pupil barristers at the Inns of Court. XXIV Old Buildings, 4 Pump Court, 2TG, and Tanfield Chambers have turned up the heat on their commercial rivals after recently increasing pupillage awards to £80,000 or above. Commercial chambers […]
While a pay packet of £100,000 may no longer represent the top of the market for junior solicitors, the amount was yet to be achieved at the Bar. Until now. News that Gray’s Inn Tax Chambers has increased its pupillage award by 43 per cent, from £70,000 to £100,000, has been met with shock by […]
In March 2020 1 King’s Bench Walk Chambers (1KBW) had to suspend its mini pupillage programme due to the government-imposed lockdown. The family courts closed and conducted hearings by telephone and video conference. In the months that followed it became very difficult for the next generation of family lawyers to obtain work experience and get […]
“Remember that chambers are businesses. The pupillage application process is ultimately a system designed to identify the candidate that would be the most beneficial addition to that business.”
Klara Slater, a new tenant at 4PB, provides some tips for tackling the pupillage application process and making the most of your first six when you get there.
DAC Beachcroft’s in-house barrister and advocacy group, which launched just over a year ago, has decided to offer pupillages, The Lawyer can reveal. 8 DAC Beachcroft Buildings, or 8DB, will recruit two pupils under its new training programme, having been granted status as an authorised education and training organisation by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) […]
Leading barristers have taken to Twitter to share their application rejection tales as candidates across the country today find out if they have secured pupillage. Employment, clinical negligence and personal injury barrister Andrew Rhodes revealed that it took “four cycles and about 43 interviews” before landing a pupillage, which he underwent at Cloisters before completing […]