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• Cloisters

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  The set at Cloisters was established during the 1950s with an exclusive criminal practice. Over time, civil law work came to be the area of focus for the set. Today, the set concentrates exclusively in civil law. The set now has about 40-plus barristers who specialize in personal injury, negligence and employment law.
  
  The current practice range at Cloisters makes it one of the leading participants at the UK Bar. The set has appeared in several litigations and cases which have contributed in the evolutionary process of the law.
  
  To list a few of its cases in recent times – Walker v Inner London Crown Court and A v Powys Local Health Board in PI/clinical negligence; Marrion, Scott & Burke and Corrigan v GMB in employment law; O’Brien v Independent Assessor and Coleman v Attridge Law in human rights.

  The set at Cloisters has managed to build a sterling reputation for itself in its niche areas of expertise. The wide variety and interesting depths of matters handled by the chamber make this the ideal place to kick start a career as a barrister.
  
  The monetary value of claims handled are huge and the issues in conflict can be some of the most horrifying and complicated acts of commission or omission directly impacting valuable human life.
  
  On the pupillage front, the training and work provided at the chamber gives an excellent introduction into the hectic working lifestyle of a barrister. The hours required to be logged by pupils can be long at times. As such, pupils must be able to master the art of juggling multiple tasks simultaneously, especially during the second six.
  
  The work culture and personnel at the chambers are friendly and approachable, making the experience all the more enjoyable during pupillage. If you’re looking to get a handle of responsibility as soon as possible, Cloisters is an excellent choice for pupillage.

  Chambers’ expertise lies in commercial & common law, contracts, disciplinary proceedings, social welfare & healthcare, personal injury & clinical negligence, human rights, inquiries & inquests, employment, media & sport and public and regulatory law.
  
  The set is reputed for its expertise in the areas of professional negligence, personal injury and employment law – the three core areas of practice.

  The chamber looks for candidates who have an outstanding academic background from students with law and non-law backgrounds. Other qualities chambers looks for are creativity, intellectual stamina, excellent communication, negotiation and presentation skills and keen commercial awareness.
  
  You must also be able to demonstrate a keen interest in taking up a challenging career at the Bar. The latter is adjudged by the time spent in gaining bar experience through mini-pupillages and internships, or some volume of volunteering carried out at organisations such as the Free Representation Unit.

  The chamber looks for candidates who have an outstanding academic background from students with law and non-law backgrounds. Other qualities chambers looks for are creativity, intellectual stamina, excellent communication, negotiation and presentation skills and keen commercial awareness.
  
  You must also be able to demonstrate a keen interest in taking up a challenging career at the Bar. The latter is adjudged by the time spent in gaining bar experience through mini-pupillages and internships, or some volume of volunteering carried out at organisations such as the Free Representation Unit.

  The chamber provides an annual maintenance grant of £30,000 during the pupillage year.

  Application forms for full pupillages must be made through the summer scheme of OLPAS at http://www.pupillages.com. Applications can be submitted between 1 March and 1 May and interviews will be conducted in two rounds during June and July. Offers to successful candidates will be sent out by 1 August and candidates will get fourteen days in which to accept or decline the offer of pupillage.
  
  The chamber also offers 12 one-week long internships during the year and conduct Open Evenings for those who miss out on an internship. Application forms for internships can be downloaded from http://www.cloisters.com/xstandard/docs/internship. Candidates should have completed their first year of an undergraduate degree in any discipline to be eligible for an internship.
  
  Completed forms should be submitted latest by 14 November. Open Evenings will be conducted during March and February and will be comprised of lectures on work at Cloisters, the Bar and the pupillage process and an interaction with members of the chamber.

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