The Pupillage Podcast

For the final episode of the Pupillage Podcast, we look into the future: what lies ahead for the Bar? Are the robots coming for our wigs and gowns? We heard from three guests who have given this a lot of thought and found that the changes ahead are bigger than we could ever have imagined… Guests Jamie Susskind: author, speaker and barrister at Littleton Chambers http://www.littletonchambers.com/barrister/jamie-susskind/ and https://www.jamiesusskind.com/. To follow Jamie on Twitter...

What if you are doing the GDL or the BPTC, or you’re searching for pupillage or busy doing pupillage or you’re finally practising as a barrister… but you have a nagging feeling that you’re the wrong person in the wrong place? And it’s not just that you don’t want to be a barrister, but – horror of horrors – you don’t want to be a lawyer. This episode is a little different from the others: in it we hear from people who have decided to move away from the law. Our guests tell us how it felt to...

What if you love the idea of being a lawyer but, in the end, don’t really fancy being a barrister? There are so many varied and exciting careers to be had under the rubric ‘lawyer’. In this episode we explore a few of the alternatives, and hear from our guests what the world is like beyond the Bar. Guests Christina Blacklaws: President of the Law Society until 2019: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinablacklaws/?originalSubdomain=uk EJ Johnston Hawke: trainee solicitor at Edwards Duthie...

After 12 months of pupillage you’re told you’re not going to be offered tenancy. It’s really tough, there’s no doubt about it. But it’s most definitely not the end of the world lots of highly successful barristers (and some judges!) have done third sixes. In this episode our guests remind you to keep in mind how far you’ve come, encourage you to be proactive and tell you how to pivot quickly, figure out your place in the market and bag a third six. They also give you some top tips for how to...

Last year data protection law firmly made its presence felt in all of our lives when we got dozens of emails about privacy notices and the GDPR: as Christopher Knight, one of our guests on today’s episode points out, data protection applies to everyone everywhere. So what does that mean for a data protection law practice? And what is the difference anyway between data protection law and information law? Meanwhile, the news is full of issues which potentially concern planning and...

These practice areas are, in the words of one of our guests, not for the weak-hearted. But if you are up for the varied and exacting challenges that a personal injury or clinical negligence presents, you will find yourself richly rewarded. We hear from Farah Mauladad who explains to us what it takes to cross-examine someone who went into hospital perfectly fit and came out tetraplegic, and from Gerard McDermott QC whose clients have often suffered catastrophic and life-changing injuries: he...

Did you love studying the weird and wonderful world of Equity and Trusts? Then today’s episode is for you. We hear from Constance McDonnell QC, a traditional chancery barrister, who tells us how a chancery practice can lead to that elusive work-life balance and why people skills - and not just intellect - are essential. And then we look into one of the most mysterious and little-known courts with Claire van Overdijk: the Court of Protection. Guests Constance McDonnell QC barrister at Serle...

Human Rights and Public International Law are two of the most appealing and popular areas of the law, but what do they really entail and how easy are they to get into? We hear from two junior practitioners who tell us about their own motivations and the challenges they have encountered in their practices. Learn why it might not always pay to be an activist if you want to go into HR and take note of a health warning about how to start a PIL practice… Guests Jude Bunting: barrister at Doughty...

Guests Ruth Kennedy barrister at 2TG https://www.2tg.co.uk/people/ruth-kennedy/ Michael Bowsher QC barrister at Monckton Chambers https://www.monckton.com/barrister/michael-bowsher-qc/ Useful Links KCL procurement distance learning module: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/law/research/centres/european/programmes/procurementsyllabus​

The recent announcement by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex --- aka Harry and Meghan --- that they are planning to sue Associated Newspapers after the Mail on Sunday published a private letter from Meghan to her father, has put the spotlight on media and defamation law – the topic of this episode of the pupillage podcast. We hear about celebrities and super injunctions, but also learn that nothing is beyond the reach of this fascinating area of law, from anti-semitism, to medical research, to...

This is an episode for anyone considering a life of crime. The Criminal Bar is one of the most exciting and rewarding areas of practice but it also faces some of the biggest challenges and shockingly low rates of pay and poor working conditions. Attrition rates among juniors, especially women, are worryingly high. Today we hear from some criminal practitioners who bravely tell it like it is. We hear about the highs and lows and try to give you the inside view so, if the Criminal Bar appeals...

This episode is for those of our listeners who are already working – but are thinking about leaving their current career in order to come to the Bar. A surprisingly large proportion of barristers in private practice have had a previous career of one sort or another. Indeed one of guests on this episode told us that when he’s King, all barristers will be obliged to have a period of employment for at least a year before they start! We hear our guests’ tips for those seeking pupillage a bit...

​In today's double-bill of mini-episodes, Beatrice and George answer some of your questions. In episode 1, they discuss law school and applications questions while in episode 2, they concentrate on interviews and beyond and relive some embarrassing moments from their own pupillage journeys.

​In today's double-bill of mini-episodes, Beatrice and George answer some of your questions. In episode 1, they discuss law school and applications questions while in episode 2, they concentrate on interviews and beyond and relive some embarrassing moments from their own pupillage journeys.

Guests Carin Hunt: barrister at Outer Temple Chambers https://www.outertemple.com/barristers/carin-hunt/ Master Angus McCullough QC: Master of the Bench and barrister at One Crown Office Row https://www.1cor.com/london/barristers/angus-mccullough-qc/ William Hawkes: https://www.williamhawkes.co.uk/ Useful Links If you have a moot in which a Supreme Court decision is cited, take a look at the Supreme Court website which has accessible press summaries to give you a quick overview. You can also...

It’s all paid off. Your application was a success and you have been invited for interview. But now what?! In the final - bumper - episode of the series, we talk to the people sitting on the other side of the table in pupillage interviews. We ask them how you can prepare for interviews, how to approach legal problem questions and advocacy exercises and how to spot an ethical question. And along the way, they tell us about some of the mistakes they see (and once made themselves) and offer some...

Today’s the day! At 11.00am on 7 January 2019, the Pupillage Gateway goes live and candidates across the country will start drafting their applications. In this episode, we talk to barristers who, between them, have read thousands of pupillage applications – and who remember how difficult it was to write their own. We talk to members of Gateway and non-Gateway chambers to hear about standard application forms, the challenges of covering letters and application processes that include assessed...

When deciding where to apply for pupillage, you need to consider not just which chambers to join, but where in the country you want to work. Barristers and chambers can be found not just in central London but throughout England and Wales. Such chambers are often mixed common law sets which can be an ideal place to start your career and which can offer some amazing opportunities. The English and Welsh Bar is divided into six regions, known as ‘circuits’: Midland; Northern; North Eastern;...

Before you come to making pupillage applications, you have to decide what sort of pupillage you want. Do you want to practise at the employed or self-employed Bar? Should you apply only to the crème de la crème of chambers or should you apply to a spectrum? Are you looking for a big mixed practice chambers or something small and specialist? Do you want to work for the Government Legal Department or perhaps in a charity or NGO? Or do you want to be at the cutting edge of alternative business...

In these two episodes, we talk to barristers and other guests practising in lots of different areas to hear about what it’s really like. What do they love about their practice area? Who are their clients? What sort of skills do you need to flourish? What are the things you really need to think about when choosing your practice? They told us about important lifestyle differences between different practices and how the legal directories can help you look behind aspirational websites. Perhaps...