Pupillage | Blackstone Chambers

• Blackstone

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  Blackstone Chambers is counted among the top tier of well-established sets practicing in London. With around seventy barristers and additional support staff, the chambers has been in business for more than half a century now, yet is regarded as modern, forward-looking and dynamic in its approach.
  
  With reputed names, many of them silks and considered top of their class, the chambers strives to provide innovative, simple and effective services to its clients.

  Life at Blackstone Chambers is not constricted by rigid hierarchies, members, staff and pupils are expected to mingle freely and interact with one another, provide suggestions and advice on one another’s work. The work-ethos revolves around a friendly, cooperative team framework.
  
  Daily timings are set at regular hours and everyone, including pupils are urged to keep to the set hours. The focus is on quality of work; late hours may occur out of necessity, but are not an expectation.
  
  Most junior tenants who joined the chambers as pupils appreciate the congenial and helpful atmosphere at Blackstone, with a transparent recruitment process,and emphasis on merit rather than completion of quotas.
  
  The assessment framework and exercises is uniform across pupils, so there is no room for complaints of favouritism. Support continues to be provided after acceptance of tenancy; new tenants spend their initial weeks shadowing some junior members of the set before the clerks begin allocating instructions to them.

  The chambers’ practice is spread over several segments and sectors, with its core expertise lying in commercial law, public law and employment law. Other areas where the chambers’ has gained traction in recent times are – defamation, lotteries & gambling, environment, competition, immigration law & financial regulations.
  
  In commercial law, work includes international trade, banking & finance, insurance & reinsurance, media, sports, IP and private international law. The public law practice handles human rights, judicial review for and against public bodies, immigration, public & welfare services and local government.
  
  The employment law set works on contracts, statutory rights, benefits and action against discrimination.

  A first class or high second class degree is a must. Only those candidates who undertake an assessed mini-pupillage will be considered for pupil placements. Other qualities chambers looks for are creativity, intellectual stamina, excellent communication, negotiation and presentation skills and a keen commercial awareness.
  
  You must also be able to demonstrate a keen interest in taking up a challenging career at the Bar.

  Blackstone offers three pupillages each year, for a period of 12 months. During this time, pupils will be assigned to four pupil supervisors, shadowing each supervisor for a period of three months. The rotation ensures that pupils get a thorough orientation in chambers’ core practice areas – commercial, employment and public law; and in other practice areas where the firm is involved – competition, immigration and financial regulations.
  
  During the first week of pupillage, pupils undergo a comprehensive induction programme, including meeting members and staff in chambers, office infrastructure and the expected work which pupils can look forward to. With pupil supervisors, pupils will work on current cases the supervisor has on hand, produce initial drafts of pleadings and possible arguments, documents related to court, questions expected in direct and cross-examination; opening and closing arguments.
  
  Each piece of written work is reviewed and feedback provided, the latter gets recorded in the pupil’s appraisal file. Pupils will not handle any cases on their own during the pupillage, concentrating on improving their skills on supervisors’ cases, attend courts and client meetings on such cases, and are not allotted any work from other members of chambers.
  
  Other training provided also includes formal assessed advocacy sessions, conducted through the year, where pupils will stage mock trials. The results get added to the overall appraisal.
  
  Mini-pupillages are usually conducted around July, lasting for a week and trainees are assigned to one or two supervisors. All activity undertaken is assessed and at the end of the week feedback is provided to the trainee as also the offer of a full-pupillage, should the trainee meet chambers’ criteria.

  The chamber provides pupils with an annual maintenance stipend of £ 42,500, from which up to £10,000 can be drawn during the BPTC course. Pupils can also avail of funding provided by respective Inns, if available. This will be separate from the grant issued by chambers.
  
  Pupils can take up to 20 days’ as annual vacation each year, preferably 10 days during the first six during Christmas and Easter, the remaining 10 days during summertime in the second six.
  
  The chamber reimburses expenses incurred on travel and accommodation up to £200 for trainees taking up the assessed mini-pupillage. New tenants can avail of an interest-free loan up to £ 30,000 which is repayable at the end of 15 months’ in practice.

  Application forms for mini-pupillage can be accessed at the chambers’ website: http://www.blackstonechambers.com/recruitment/minipupillage_1.html.
  
  Applications for pupillage are available through the OLPAS system to which chambers subscribes. The last date for submitting completed application forms through the Pupillage Portal is 27th April, forms are accessible at http://www.pupillages.com. For further information or details, the recruitment team can be contacted at: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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