It is undoubtedly difficult to become a barrister. The competition is fierce and the statistics certainly make for sobering reading. The reasons why so many Bar Vocational Course (BVC) students fail to secure a pupillage and tenancy are varied and it is easy to jump to conclusions – which in my experience are unwarranted – about nepotism and bias.
The fundamental reasons why so many BVC students fail to secure pupillage are that there are a limited number of pupillages and tenancies each year and the number of people who do the BVC each year far outstrips this.
