Pupillage

PUPILLAGE APPLICATIONS FOR PUPILLAGES COMMENCING IN 2011 ARE NOW OPEN

We are delighted to be able to tell students of the benefits and opportunities on offer at the largest and one of the most ambitious sets of chambers in the country with offices in Birmingham, London and Bristol.

No5 Chambers has successfully followed a strategy of structured expansion which has led to the provision of increasingly specialist services and the end of the era of the general practitioner.

In recent years many more students than before have recognised the wider benefits of life at the provincial Bar.

No5 Chambers has now grown to become the largest set of chambers in the UK. There are over 20 Silks and more than 190 tenants (including a small number of associate tenants). Our recruitment policy naturally aims to select only those candidates with the intellectual, presentational and personal skills essential to succeed at the Bar.

We offer mini-pupillages, coach students in mock trials, judge moots and give talks to schools and colleges, all with a view to encouraging interest in a career at the Bar.

We encourage interested students to undertake a mini-pupillage with us to gain an understanding of our ethos, expectations and areas of work.

We want to attract candidates with:-

(i) a good academic record;

(ii) an appetite for very hard work;

(iii) good interpersonal skills;

(iv) ambition;

(v) determination.

Those who are offered a tenancy can look forward to a challenging and varied workload and support both from colleagues and clerks.

We offer two 12-month funded pupillages every year. Early applications are encouraged. The application deadline is the 10th May for pupillage commencing in the Autumn of 2011. We offer grants of £20,000 for the first six months of pupillage. Earnings in the second six months of pupillage are usually at least £20,000. After that, financial assistance is available and tailored to meet the needs of the individual.

Pupils will spend most of the first three months with their pupil supervisor. Frequent visits to courts and tribunals, sitting in on conferences, legal research and the drafting of statements of case and opinions are the features of a pupillage at No5. Pupils may also be asked to assist with preparing talks and seminars and may be required to take noting briefs.

During the third to sixth months of pupillage, pupils will spend more time with other members of chambers and especially with more junior tenants to gain an insight into the work they will receive in their second six months.

Once the second six months of pupillage begins, pupils can expect to appear frequently in court (four or five times a week) and may receive some paperwork instructions in their own name. Every step is taken by our team of clerks to provide support for pupils at this formative stage of their careers and members of chambers are always at hand to provide guidance and help.

Each pupillage is closely monitored and the pupil attends regular meetings to discuss and assess progress.

Towards the end of the second six months, consultation about offering the pupil a tenancy takes place between the clerks, the relevant pupil-supervisor and other members of chambers. The outcome of these assessments is announced approximately two months prior to the expiry of pupillage.

No5 Chambers has an Equality of Opportunity Code and supports the initiatives of the Bar Council in ensuring the equal treatment of pupils and tenants, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, age or physical disability.