Becoming a barrister
Barristers provide a specialist service in litigation and advocacy, and undertake advisory work. They prepare and present cases for trial, taking on a wide range of cases and clients (but often specialising in one practice area). Barristers also provide an independent advisory service on legal disputes or problems. Most legislation can be interpreted in numerous ways and barristers advise on how it may pertain to a particular case. Generally, barristers work in private practice and are self-employed. However, they do not operate entirely in isolation: most of them pool their resources to form a ‘set’ of chambers, which enables them to share many of the costs involved in running a business. Each member of a set is known as a ‘tenant’ and has a say in the way in which the set is organised. An important thing to note is that training at the Bar has changed, as the Bar Standards Board (BSB) works to make becoming a barrister more accessible, affordable and flexible. New Bar training courses replaced the highly expensive Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) in September 2020. Find out more in the ‘BSB’ chapter and check LawCareers. Net for information on the universities and law schools offering Bar courses. Stay up to date on the changes via the BSB’s website. Pupillage Pupillage is a one-year period of on-the-job training during which pupils observe a set at work for six months and then practise under supervision for a further six months. It is the final stage of training to be a barrister, where you put into practise everything you have learnt so far. Although you will be ‘called to the Bar’ on passing the Bar course, pupillage is essential for all those wishing to go into practice. Structure Pupillage usually takes a year to complete, with the year divided into two six-month periods known as ‘sixes’. Each six is spent in
a set of chambers (although a small number of places are available in companies and other institutions), under the guidance and supervision of a ‘pupil supervisor’ – a junior barrister of at least five years’ experience. It is not unheard of for each six to be spent in different chambers and/or with a different pupil supervisor. Content To qualify as a barrister, pupils are required by the Bar Council to obtain sufficient practical experience of advocacy, conferences and negotiation, as well as legal research and the preparation of drafts and opinions. The first six is spent shadowing and assisting the pupil supervisor. This involves attending court and case conferences, undertaking research, doing background reading and drafting documents. Thus, a pupil gains insight into how a case is prepared and argued, how a competent practitioner responds to developments as they occur and how pre- arranged tactics can be changed. The second six sees a pupil take their first steps as a professional practitioner. Pupils are permitted to undertake their own cases for clients, under supervision. Inevitably, much of this work involves straightforward cases, but there is always the chance that an important or groundbreaking case may arise.
How to apply The online application system for pupillages is the Pupillage Gateway (www.pupillagegateway.com). Most
chambers are part of the centralised system (Pupillage Gateway providers), but some are not (non-Pupillage Gateway providers). Available pupillages at both types of chambers are listed on the system, but non- members will have varying deadlines and methods of application, and you will have to check chambers’ individual websites for details.
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