larger cities such as Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Leeds and Liverpool. Speak to any regional barrister and they will extol the virtues of a tight-knit professional community inwhich barristers knownot only instructing solicitors, but alsomedical professionals, social workers and senior police officers. While it is true that London has amagnetic pull on high-value cases, youwill find commercial work in larger cities, where some sets haveworked hard to compete with their peers in the capital – not least in relation to pricing. All shades of legal practice can be found in the regions, although sets and individual barristers are less likely to specialise to quite the same degree as in the capital. You may earn less in the regions; however, factor in the cost of living and a regional pupillage could make financial sense. Pupillage awards range from£12,000 to £30,000. The Birmingham Bar is home to the barrister superset. Here, two chambers in particular – No5 and St Philips – have reshaped the market by drawing together barristers from many of the smaller sets. These barristers practise from state-of-the-art premises, aided by teams of business managers and professional marketers. No5, with more than 260 barristers (including 35 silks), also has ‘annexes’ in London and Bristol. Public sector pupillages Both the Crown Prosecution Service and the Government Legal Profession offer pupillages leading to permanent roles with fixed salaries, holiday and sickness pay, pensions and all the usual employment protection rights.
instructing solicitors who send you work during the early years of your career. Pupillage awards vary hugely; however, the very top players will match those paid by commercial sets. For a profile of a barrister who is part of a common law set, see Rajkiran Barhey of 1 Crown Office Row in the ‘ Common law ’ chapter. Crime sets Motoring offences, juvenile misdemeanours, gruesome murders, child abuse, terrorism, white-collar fraud, regulatory breaches – London’s crime sets handle just about every kind of violation you might imagine. Check on the orientation and reputation of the sets you are hoping to apply to, and look at the biographies of juniors and seniors. You may spot an emphasis on defence or a focus on a particular type of crime. Some, for example, specialise in terrorism and extradition; others are boosting their regulatory practices, perhaps in specific sectors such as sport, professional discipline or health and safety. Pupillage involves a baptism of fire, early advocacy and court visits across the capital and beyond. Those motivated primarily by money should look elsewhere. For a profile of a barrister who is part of a criminal law set, see Ini Udom of 5 SAH in the ‘ Crime ’ chapter. Regional Bar: supersets and beyond According to Bar Council statistics, just over half of all chambers in England andWales are located outside London, and just over one-third of all barristers in private practicework from within them. Themain concentrations are in
Reality check: Competition for pupillage is fierce, so over and above getting exemplary grades, youmust showa commitment to joining theBar. Mooting at university and doingmini-pupillages at chambers that interest you is a great way to demonstrate that you’re keen aswell as learningmore about the different atmosphere in different sets.
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