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Some gentle thoughts about pupillage. To my shame, I never thought it through properly as a pupil myself.
1. Those at the independent Bar are self-employed. They compete with other barristers for work. Taking pupils is frankly of little tangible benefit to individual members. We
1. Those at the independent Bar are self-employed. They compete with other barristers for work. Taking pupils is frankly of little tangible benefit to individual members. We
do it - and love it - because we can pass on what we know and help shape the future Bar even after we are long gone.
2. Practising barristers on the pupillage committee in every Chambers are juggling work commitments and wading through applications in their ‘spare’ time, unpaid.
2. Practising barristers on the pupillage committee in every Chambers are juggling work commitments and wading through applications in their ‘spare’ time, unpaid.
3. There is no separate Chambers ‘pot’ that magically pays mandatory pupillage awards. Funding for pupillage is made up of personal contributions from every member of Chambers. They contribute a percentage of every fee they receive and take home less to fund the new generation.
4. If you are lucky enough to be offered a pupillage, your pupil supervisor in Chambers will guide, explain, mentor, try to sell you to his/her solicitors and support you throughout your career. It won’t matter how busy he/ she is. And all for free.
5. If you are lucky enough to be offered a tenancy, every single member of Chambers will have your back. They will pick up the phone day or night if you need advice, take time to discuss your mags ct case with you and one day may even ask to lead you in a career-changing case.
The attitude to pupils is one of the things I love about this profession. I just wish someone had spelt it out to me when I was a young hopeful. (Of course we didn’t have funded pupillage then - but the altruism was the same.) I dare say @10DowningStreet is even happier about it.
