Two points may be worth making at the outset of this article. The first is that my own experience is limited to that of the pupillage recruitment process at my own chambers, Four New Square (aside from anecdotal experience gained from friends in other sets of chambers). Other sets will have different procedures, particularly depending upon whether or not they belong to the Online Pupillage Applications Scheme (OLPAS). Fortunately, this will give slightly different emphasis to the qualities sought in their prospective pupils to reflect the different areas of work they may be covering. Nevertheless, in essence the same principles will apply widely across the Bar.
The second introductory point is that sets of barristers’ chambers, unlike many solicitors firms, do not generally employ specialist human resources staff, with the selection process being run almost entirely by the barristers themselves. It is worth bearing in mind that your application will be reviewed and your interviews conducted by barristers fitting those tasks around their own – often very busy – practices. This is not to suggest that the recruitment process is not given great importance in chambers – it certainly is – but to emphasise that you want your application to stand out to someone who may not have very long to read it after a long day in court.
