Finding Pupillage

They aren't great odds. Roughly the ratio of available pupillages to total number of candidates is 1:12 – for every one pupillage there are twelve vying candidates. Having established that finding a pupillage is not a walk in the park, we’ll also look at means and methods whereby you can improve your chances of beating the tough odds. 

The avenues where opportunities may exist for improving your chances are in your academic achievement, the area of practice you pick, choosing a chamber, picking the right location and most importantly, your personal qualities and capabilities, proficiency in various skills and significant achievements throughout your education and training.

Positive steps

The best moves you can make to land a pupillage on your first try are prospective rather than retrospective in nature. Beginning with your education, aim for consistently high grades throughout school and earn nothing less than a first or high second class undergraduate degree.

Build up a history of participation in relevant extracurricular activities and projects, local events and sports, being involved in committee and team-level activities and relevant work experience.

Your personality and the aptitude you display are equally important; polish your verbal and written communication skills, learn to manage time and people effectively and work on improving your reasoning and analytical skills.

If you’ve read through this paragraph and feel you lack any of the above, make sure you remedy it. All successful applicants will have it and so must you.

Location

Choosing where you wish to practise is an important consideration when planning your strategy. If you prefer to practise in London, take the cost of living into account – rents, commuting expenses, food and other related expenses can really pile up. Competition is fierce among the London sets, whether for finding work or taking on fresh tenants. 

Regional circuits and some of the larger cities may actually provide you with a decent work-life balance while also providing decent work. Remember, London is already crowded and saturated, and the opportunities in other places will actually get more attractive in the long run. General and specialised sets are now also proliferating in cities such as Leeds, Birmingham and Manchester. 

While commercial and Chancery sets may rule the roost in London, much of family, public or criminal law can be practised well anywhere. Education or employment sets will likely have their bases in areas where educational institutions or companies and factories are concentrated, hence the range of choice available to you is actually pretty wide.

One thing many individuals overlook is the importance of gaining a clear idea of the kind of chamber you’d like to work in, whether full-service or specialist. Don’t be of the view that you will just take anything. The areas of practice you choose will depend on what your real objectives for being a barrister are. 

Once you are clear on your objectives and decided on your area of practice, the next step is to apply to those chambers that have expertise in that area. Choice can be a matter of personal preference for a particular area, a vocational preference - to work towards social welfare and justice or earn pots of money and lead a financially comfortable life - or a preference for the type of work that keeps you constantly on the go.

With all this in mind, you can then go on to pick and choose from the various areas of practice available. Take a look at our Areas of Law section for further guidance.

04-02-2011