Pupillage | 1 hare court

• 1 Hare Court

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  A set specialising exclusively and completely in family law, One Hare Court (1HC) has over 35 barristers, a major number of them are women keeping in tune with the nature of the set’s practice.
  
  Amongst its various achievements, the set was recently awarded the Quality Mark, an independently audited quality assurance acknowledgement from the Legal Services Commission.
  
  Some of 1HC’s highly-publicised and notable cases in the recent past include Charman v Charman, Miller v Miller, McFarlane v McFarlane, Sorrell v Sorrell, Blunkett v Quinn in divorce; C v C and Re P (abduction: consent) in child abduction; C v FC and Norris v Norris in costs.

  Family law was and remains the chief focus at One Hare Court; however within this vast practice area the set’s focus has seen changes over a period of time. Born of a merger between two family law sets, each with proficiency in divorce and traditional family law respectively, the set consolidated its reputation for the next 25-plus years.
  
  The winds of change have not bypassed 1HC though. In the recent few years, a new premises has been acquired bringing all members and staff under a single roof and a change of address (1HC was formerly known as 1 Mitre Court Buildings).
  
  For future barristers, it is important to remember that this is a single speciality niche practice; only if you are looking for a career in family law should you consider entering the doors at One Hare Court. Some bit of this may be accomplished by attending a week-long mini-pupillage at the set; the experience should go quite a way in cementing your decision either way.
  
  Once at chambers, pupils will find that the culture at 1HC is congenial, supportive and open. You will meet and interact with individuals where no two personalities will match and the clear focus is on quality services, not to mention integrity and high standards of confidentiality.
  
  The set is quite upfront about the fact that not much independent work is available to pupils in the second six; the year is dedicated to learning and building a strong foundation before tossing your hat into the ring.

  The chamber covers the full range of family law practice – divorce, financial issues, ancillary relief, children, inheritance & succession, family trusts, estate planning, charities and taxes, both in domestic and international jurisdictions.
  
  Financial ancillary relief post divorce forms a bulk of the set’s practice today; other financial matters also undertaken include relief for offspring of unmarried parents, claims under the Inheritance Act, distribution of marital assets, overseas property, etc. In the field of children’s law, the set undertakes issues dealing with child custody, support, abduction, adoption and guardianship.
  
  Other areas of expertise are pre-nuptial agreements, establishment & dissolution of trusts, division of family businesses, agreements for same-sex couples, international divorces, ethics and human rights in the family context.

  Candidates should have secured or are on course to secure a 2:1 degree or higher. You should be able to demonstrate an interest in a career at the Bar and specifically at One Hare Court and family law.
  
  Good verbal and written skills are a must; other attributes desirable are confidence, creativity, enthusiasm and excellent interpersonal and people management skills.

  One Hare Court offers three 12-month pupillages every year during which pupils will be rotated among three different pupil masters for a period of four months each. One new tenant is taken on each year, and will usually be from the pupil intake that year. The chamber helps out in placements at other sets for pupils who are not able to secure a tenancy a 1HC.
  
  During the pupillage, pupils are exposed to a variety of styles and approaches through their supervisors, though the core subject-matter continues to be family law. A large percentage of cases which pupils will get to attend and experience under supervision are related to financial provisions post divorce, as also matters dealing with children, inheritance, tax and trusts.
  
  The lion’s share of work assigned to pupils will consist of vast amounts of reach, a thorough understanding of the substantive law, gaining proficiency in drafting agreements and other documentation specific to practice, client management conferences and attending court proceedings with supervisors.

  The chamber provides an annual grant of £25,000 payable to three candidates selected for pupillage. There is not much scope for paid work in the second six of the pupillage.

  The chamber does not recruit through the Pupillage Portal scheme, but follows the latter’s timetable for the summer schedule. Application forms should be submitted by no later than a date specified by the chamber in the month of June for a pupillage commencing in October.
  
  There is no preformatted application form; hence candidates should provide a detailed CV and a hand-written covering letter. The chamber will invite shortlisted candidates for a first round of interviews to be held during June and July and the list will be further culled for candidates qualifying to attend a second interview in July.
  
  Applications for mini-pupillages should also be a detailed CV accompanied by a hand-written covering letter and should be forwarded for consideration between 1 and 31 January.

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