Pupillage

You’ll be assigned to one pupil supervisor for each four-month period, though you should expect to work for other Members of Chambers during the course of the year. During your first six months, you’ll be in chambers and in court, working closely with your pupil supervisors. You’ll also take part in our Pupillage Training Course. During your second six months, you’ll practise primarily in the Magistrates’ and Crown Courts.

We expect our pupils to become involved in the spectrum of work undertaken in chambers. In previous years this has included:

• Assisting David Perry KC with a case before the Grand Chamber of the ECtHR concerning whether the extradition of an individual where there was a real risk they would be sentenced to life without parole breached Article 3 Sanchez-Sanchez v The United Kingdom (Application no. 22854/20).
• Assisting Jonathan Hall KC with the first unexplained wealth order case (National Crime Agency v A [2018] EWHC 2534 (Admin)).
• Watching Alison Morgan KC prosecuting the Sabina Nessa murder at the Old Bailey.
• Shadowing Deputy District Judge Michael Bisgrove as he presided over a number of Extinction Rebellion trials.
• Pro bono work for organisations such as Advocate and Prisoners’ Advice Service.

We make our tenancy decisions in early autumn, following a structured tenancy assessment. We hope and expect that all of our pupils will be offered tenancy with us.

During the first six months of your pupillage, you’ll take part in our weekly in-house training programme. In addition to sessions on the law, advocacy, and ethics, the programme includes a mock trial in front of a District Judge, and a mock trial at the Old Bailey in front of a resident judge. The programme is run by Members of Chambers and has been consistently praised by the Bar Council.

For the 2023/2024 application round, our pupillage award will be £57,000

Following a review, our pupillage funding for the 2023/2024 application round will be £57,000, supplemented by second six earnings.

The £57,000 consists of a grant of £28,500 in the first six, plus guaranteed minimum income of £28,500 in the second six.

The system of guaranteed minimum income means that, as a pupil, you will keep what you earn, but if your income falls below a certain level in any month, chambers will make up the shortfall.

Usually, our pupils earn in excess of the guaranteed minimum.

In addition to the grant and guaranteed earnings, we will fund your professional courses during pupillage, we will pay your travel expenses outside of the M25, and give you a book grant (enough to purchase a copy of Blackstone’s or Archbold). In recent years, pupils have received a free copy of Blackstone’s, and have access to Archbold and various other essential resources via our online Westlaw subscription.

We can also make some of your funding available during the BPC year, something we are always happy to discuss.

We aim to offer the most generous pupillage funding arrangement at the criminal bar. This reflects both our commitment to attracting pupils from the widest possible range of backgrounds and our optimism about the future of criminal practice in chambers.

You will be assigned a mentor from among the junior members of Chambers for the duration of your pupillage year. Your mentor will have undergone pupillage with us themselves in recent years and will be able to offer you support and advice. He or she can be an additional port of call if you experience problems, ill-health or stress, and will be well placed to answer any questions you may have about Chambers, the Bar and being on your feet.

In addition, pupils benefit from the Wellbeing Programme which is offered to all of our members. This comprises: a 24/7 helpline, staffed by people unconnected to Chambers, which offers confidential advice and counselling; an online portal and app which provides useful wellbeing information and access to online counselling; and a referral system to an Occupational Therapist.