Recruitment

Annie Townley

Barrister

My pupillage experience at No5 started and ended in tears of happiness at being offered pupillage and equally happy tears at being offered tenancy! A lot happened between these two points, but it was an incredibly rewarding experience and I couldn’t have asked for a better pupillage year. There were a few steep learning curves but everyone at No5 was so warm and welcoming and I always felt as though everyone genuinely wanted me to succeed which helped me to push through the tougher moments.

Pupillage is a demanding and rigorous year with lots of worries about how you are getting on, whether you really are cut out to be a barrister and whether you will be taken on at the end. Thankfully, the process at No5 is really transparent; I had regular reviews at 3 month intervals where my supervisor wrote a report against a set criteria and I met with the pupillage committee to discuss the report and how I was finding pupillage. I was told what I needed to improve on at each of these reviews so that I had time to work on any issues before a decision on tenancy was made, rather than those issues being brought up for the first time as a reason not to offer me tenancy.

I was always invited to chambers social events whether it was one of the many chambers’ Christmas parties, informal trips to the pub (all pre covid!) or virtual group quizzes during the various lockdowns. I was really made to feel a valuable part of No5 right from the start.

Towards the end of my first six I shadowed some of the junior members of chambers which gave me a chance to see more of the type of work I would be doing in my second six. It was quite a relief to go from very complex matters that my supervisor of 15 years call was working on to a claim about a burst water pipe and thinking that I might be just about able to do that sort of case! It was also great to get to know the juniors in chambers who had been through pupillage recently and knew exactly how I was feeling. I was nervous at first about being on my feet in my second six but I am so glad that my pupillage had a practicing second six. There is no substitute for taking on your own cases and getting in front of a judge. It also meant that I started my first few weeks of tenancy already 6 months ahead of most of my peers when it came to real court experience!

Afiya Amesu

Barrister

Pupillage at No5 is an insightful and rewarding training experience that offers a comprehensive introduction to life at the Bar. It’s a challenging year that pushes you to understand and navigate the intricacies of legal practice, but it is also incredibly productive as it equips you with the confidence and competence needed to build a successful practice.

In your first six months, you have the opportunity to shadow your supervisor on complex matters, gaining insights into life at the Bar, building meaningful relationships with your solicitors, and mastering the art of advocacy in various contexts. My supervisor, Mat, was intentional about exposing me to the entire litigation process. From drafting pleadings to attending JSMs and trials for both Claimants and Defendants, I gained insight into how to effectively assess the risks in a case, manage client expectations and balance my workload.

At No5 you are also able to explore another practice area. I was fortunate enough to shadow Mugni, Head of the Employment Group, for a few weeks, which confirmed my interest in this area and enabled me to build more relationships in Chambers.

To prepare you for your second six, when you’re ‘on your feet’, you have the opportunity to shadow junior members of the group in court to familiarise yourself with day-to-day life at the junior Bar.

Two key highlights for me were the mentoring system at No5 and the collegiate culture. Before I commenced pupillage, I was allocated a mentor, who had a call with me to answer any burning questions I had about No5 or pupillage more generally, and was there, throughout the year, to provide advice and support on a confidential basis. My mentor and the other juniors in PI and Employment provided a great support network, where I could ask questions without feeling judged and pick up the phone if a novel issue arose in court.

Another key aspect of No5 is the collegiate culture. Despite its size, No5 members socialise frequently and support each other. I had brilliant co-pupils, have attended Group and Chambers-wide socials and been on trips with juniors outside work.

For me No5 has provided a great launchpad for my career and I feel confident that I can continue to grow my practice at this set.