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• Garden Court

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  • Pupillage

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  Garden Court Chambers is a set practising in the domain of public law and human rights among other areas and was established over thirty years ago with only six barristers on the nameplate.
  
  Today, the number of tenants is over 100 and made up of several practice teams overlapping several areas of practice. Mainly, the set is dedicated to the spread of social justice for everyone and providing legal advice and assistance to the needy and disenfranchised.

  A chamber for the socially-conscious and adherents of human rights and welfare, apply here for a pupillage only if you’re really interested and committed to a career in public law, crime and civil liberties. It helps to have a prior background in social works and volunteering in welfare projects, since the competition for pupillages is extremely tough.
  
  Six candidates are selected out of the several hundred that apply, and of these only one gets offered a tenancy. To put it simply, you really have to be an exceptional candidate to even be considered by Garden Court.
  
  Because of its focus in public law, you won’t be amongst the other high earners at the more commercially driven sets. With that said, people choose Garden Court undoubtedly for the work, which is simply exceptional.

  The core focus areas for Garden Court are public and administrative law, civil liberties, crime, human rights, immigration, police law and housing and social welfare. Primarily an outfit specialising in claimants’ rights, the set is well-known for outstanding work in the areas of immigration and criminal law.
  
  Immigration law covers all aspects of refugee issues, human rights, EC law, nationality, national security, deportation and removal, asylum, detention and false imprisonment and immigration crime. The criminal practice at chambers is one of the biggest teams in the set, involved in all kinds of cases, ground-breaking and highly publicized from the 1970s onwards.
  
  Some of the cases in which the set has been involved have included public law & order trials, labour demonstrations, animal rights protests, racial discrimination, miscarriage of justice, terrorism, breaches of state authority, murder trials, etc.

  A good academic background is a must, though there is no insistence on the class of degree obtained or where it is obtained from. The other specific qualities which the chamber looks at are quick thinking and the ability to grasp complex issues and ideas.
  
  You must also have excellent presentation skills, with the ability to put across a clear, concise and logical argument for or against an idea. Perhaps one of the most important factors is a history of participation in campaigns, law centres and free representation units. The work of the chambers is dedicated to helping such causes so a CV with similar attributes will definitely help a lot.

  The pupillage year is split into two sixes; a pupil supervisor is assigned for the first six months. All pupils sit together and undergo a thorough orientation in at least three areas of focus in chambers’ work. The areas available are immigration, crime, administrative and public law, housing & social welfare, employment, family law, human rights and civil law.
  
  During the second six, extensive time is spent in court handling small matters on their own or assisting other members of chambers. Frequent appraisals of work are carried out at the end of every quarter with written reports are forwarded to the selection committee. Members other than the supervisor are required to complete feedback forms when pupils undertake any work for them.
  
  Tenancy selection is made after completion and submission of two written assignments, one each in civil and criminal law, one advocacy exercise in chambers and an interview. Mini-pupillages are conducted throughout the year except August, Easter vacation, the second half of December and the first half of January.
  
  One mini-pupil is taken on board each week and gets to sample the full range of work and practice at Chambers. Mini-pupillages are un-assessed and are not considered as a prerequisite for full pupillage, but it is recommended that students experience mini-pupillages in as many areas of practice as possible, at Garden Court or elsewhere to get an idea of the way the job goes.

  The chamber provides an annual award of £ 16,000 payable over twelve months. All fees earned during the second six when pupils start handling their own cases will be paid out to pupils minus a 10% management fee.

  Applications for pupillages should be made through OLPAS during the summer schedule. Forms are available at http://www.pupillages.com. Completed forms should be sent in latest by 30 April and the chamber will initiate the selection & offer process as per the OLPAS timetable.
  
  All applications received will be reviewed by two members of the Pupillage Training Committee (PTC) and ratings are provided against each of the selection criteria laid down in the pupillage policy.
  
  Selected candidates will undergo a single round of interviews where the questions asked and ratings assigned will be uniform across all candidates. Candidates will also be asked to complete a short advocacy exercise as part of the interview.

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