In today’s episode we are talking all things mini-pupillage. Mini-pupillages are short periods of work experience in barristers’ chambers and are essential for anyone seeking pupillage or considering a career at the Bar. They are the best way to see inside a set of chambers and to understand what a barrister’s practice – and life – really entails. They are also an excellent way to improve your CV.
Mini-pupillages can be hard to come by so we hear from our guests how to apply
and, when you land that precious mini, the secrets to impress and the pitfalls to
avoid. We kick off the episode asking one of the most controversial questions of all…
Guests in order of appearance
Cathryn McGahey QC: silk at Temple Garden Chambers
https://tgchambers.com/member-profile/cathryn-mcgahey-qc/
Julia Horner: Practice Director at Blackstone Chambers
https://www.blackstonechambers.com/recruitment/staff/
Alexander Robson: barrister at Littleton Chambers, co-author of The Path to
Pupillage, Harold G. Fox Scholar
http://www.littletonchambers.com/barrister/alexander-robson/
Master Ann Hussey: silk and Master of the Bench at 1 Hare Court
https://www.1hc.com/people/ann-hussey-qc/
Elaine Banton: barrister at 7 Bedford Row http://www.7br.co.uk/barrister/elaine-
banton/
Useful Links
For some further advice about mini-pupillages:
https://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/the-bar/mini-pupillage-vacancies
https://www.lawcareers.net/barristers/minipupillages
https://www.allaboutlaw.co.uk/law-careers/mini-pupillage
Glossary
GDL: Graduate Diploma in Law – a year’s law course for those who have not
undertaken an undergraduate law degree. Also known informally as the ‘law
conversion course’.
Law conversion course: the graduate diploma in law.
Marshalling: work experience shadowing a judge.
Mini-Pupillage: a period of work experience in a barristers’ chambers, usually a
week or less, sometimes assessed. These are generally only available to those in
their final year of a law degree or from the law conversation course onward.
QC: Queen’s Counsel – an award for excellence in advocacy in the higher courts.
Those barristers who become QCs are also known as ‘silks’. The title depends on
the sex of the sovereign and during the reign of a king, QCs will become ‘King’s
Counsel’ or ‘KCs’.
