We offer those interested in a career at the Family Law Bar the opportunity to spend time in Chambers as a mini pupil. During that time mini pupils can expect to attend Court, attend conferences and read paperwork whilst shadowing a number of different barristers. We aim to give all mini pupils as broad and varied an experience of life in chambers as possible.
To apply for a mini pupillage please print out and complete the application form on our chambers website.
The barrister in charge of mini-pupillages is Emily Page (epage@29br.co.uk)

Chambers operates an equal opportunities policy. There are no age restrictions for applying for pupillage in these chambers. Chambers has no preference between candidates with law or non-law degrees and we appreciate that applicants who have not read law at university will only have limited experience of law as an academic discipline when they apply for pupillage.

Any major policy decisions which arise in connection with pupillage at 29 Bedford Row are dealt with by Chambers as a whole. However, all other matters (in particular, selection of pupils) are dealt with by the Pupillage Committee. Its members reflect the diversity within chambers. Its members are of varying levels of seniority and have differing areas of practice.

The overriding goal throughout the selection process is to find pupils who might, in due course, become members of Chambers. Selection is on the basis of merit. Each application for pupillage will be read by a member of the Committee who will shortlist candidates for interview.

Where shortlisters cannot agree, the Pupillage Committee will moderate the shortlisting decision. When considering whether to invite candidates for an interview the following factors will be taken into account: degree classification (applicants with a 2.2 degree or lower will not be considered further unless there is an exceptional reason for the classification), relevant work experience and skills, interest in family law and Chambers, presentation and use of language.

We tend to conduct two rounds of interviews on separate days. Around twenty five candidates will be invited to the first interview. Of those approximately one half will continue through to the second interview.

An individual’s performance at an interview will be marked against the following criteria: academic ability, oral advocacy and presentation skills, awareness of topical issues affecting the Family Bar and the profession as a whole, motivation and commitment to a career at the Bar,aptitude for Family Law work,research skills and legal analysis (second interview only).

Candidates are not required to submit any written work or undertake a written assessment at any stage of the application process. All applicants will have the opportunity during both rounds to ask the Committee any questions which they may wish to put about any aspect of pupillage at 29 Bedford Row.

A shortlist of candidates will be drawn up at the end of each round according to the scores achieved by each candidate. At the end of the second round the panel will offer pupillages to the two highest scoring candidates in that round. In the event that any applicant to whom pupillage is initially offered does not accept, we may make further offers in order of rank to those further down the list. Chambers will make offers within the rules of the Pupillage Gateway.

For our current session, each pupil will be offered an award of up to £42,500 (effective for pupillage starting October 2024 and thereafter). The pupillage award is paid in two instalments during the first six months of pupillage. Any payment of pupillage awards within the first six months is tax-free, giving a substantial saving to our pupils. This will be supplemented by Second Six earnings. Chambers pays for all compulsory pupillage courses and also the Forensic Accountancy Course (if completed during the pupillage year).

Pupillage is divided into periods of four months spent with three different Pupil Supervisors. Pupils will be notified of the name of their first Pupil Supervisor about two weeks prior to the commencement of pupillage. Pupils are asked to liaise with the Secretary to the Pupillage Committee to register their pupillage before it commences.

Within the first week of pupillage, a meeting is arranged with the Senior Clerk, the Head of Chambers and the Pupillage Secretary. There will also be a meeting with the Pupillage Welfare Officer (see below). Pupil Supervisors take their pupils on a ‘tour’ of Chambers to meet as many members of Chambers and staff as possible. A drinks party is also arranged in the first week of pupillage to welcome the new pupils to Chambers.

Especially during the first six months, pupillage is a close professional relationship. It is above all an opportunity for the pupil, by participating in and observing his or her Pupil Supervisor’s practice, to further develop the practical skills necessary for practice at the Bar: advocacy, pleading, negotiation and conference skills, and proper professional conduct and etiquette.

During the second six months pupils can expect to appear in court regularly. Over this period as a whole each pupil is likely to have, on average, between two and three court hearings per week. The initial frequency may be less, but more work becomes available during the long vacation months of August and September. Court work (and paperwork) is allocated by the clerks in strict rotation between the pupils. A written record is kept by the Senior Clerk of every court booking allocated and this is reviewed by the Pupillage Secretary every 2 months and is open to inspection if necessary.

We are anxious that all pupils should get the broadest training possible and also that they should have a chance to impress widely. To this end, we encourage pupils to offer to help members of Chambers other than their Pupil Supervisors, particularly during their second six months. We expect pupils to accompany other members of Chambers to court if their Pupil Supervisor is on holiday or otherwise unavailable. We also try to ensure that pupils spend time with the most junior members of Chambers so that they can experience the type of work that they will undertake in their Second Six. Pupils will be expected to give priority to their Pupil Supervisor’s work during their first six months and their own work during their second six months. They should only take on work for other members of Chambers if they have sufficient time available and they should always obtain their Pupil Supervisor’s permission to do so.

Subject to the individual requirements of a Pupil Supervisor, an average working day in Chambers may commence around 9 a.m. and end at around 6 p.m. It is possible to ‘contract out’ of the 48 hour maximum working week under the Working Time Regulations 1998. Chambers does not encourage pupils to do this. However we will, of course, take note of any individual pupil’s choice to do so by letter addressed to the Pupillage Secretary. However even if a pupil contracts out, he or she will still be expected to keep an accurate record of ‘working time’, and is asked not to spend any more than 48 hours on Chambers’ work each week.

Pupils will receive work on their own account during their second six months of pupillage. There may therefore inevitably be times when a pupil will spend more than 48 hours per week working given the nature/weight of his/her own individual caseload. Pupils should not, however, seek to deal with their own work plus 48 hours of Chambers’ work per week. If pupils encounter any working time problems they should consult with the Welfare Officer immediately and in complete confidence.

Pupils are entitled to take a total of four weeks’ holiday during the course of their pupillage – two weeks during their first six months and two weeks during their second six months. Pupils must liaise with their Pupil Supervisors to arrange holiday dates during their first six months. However, during their second six months pupils will also be required to notify the Senior Clerk.

The negotiation and collection of fees is the responsibility of the clerks. There is inevitably a delay before any significant amount of fees are received by pupils. Cheques are distributed as soon as they are received. Pupils are billed clerks’ fees and rent at a total of 10% of their monthly fee income.

It is a Bar Council requirement that, at the conclusion of pupillage, the relevant checklists are completed by each pupil. Each pupil’s progress is monitored throughout the year and any deficiencies addressed. The pupillage checklists are contained in the Bar Council’s Pupillage File, which is sent out to all pupils. Pupils at 29 Bedford Row will be expected to complete the specialist Family Law checklist and are encouraged to update it at regular intervals throughout the course of the year.

Pupil Supervisors will provide informal feedback to their pupil on a day-to-day basis. However, Chambers also has a formal review process. It is designed to ensure that, at each stage, a pupil knows his/her Pupil Supervisor’s opinion of their work and working methods, and receives guidance for the coming months. Formal feedback will be provided every two months during pupillage. The review is recorded in writing in summary form, and is counter-signed by the pupil. The Review Sheets will be submitted for consideration by the Chairman of the Pupillage Committee, the Pupillage Secretary and the Tenancy Committee (see below).

At each review stage, pupils are asked to comment on their experience of pupillage to date. This is designed to help Chambers to monitor the success of its pupillage practices. Completed forms will be submitted for consideration by the Chairman and Secretary of the Pupillage Committee

Chambers recognises that pupillage is, both intellectually and otherwise, an arduous and demanding year for pupils. For this reason we are keen to safeguard our pupils’ welfare (both professional and personal), and we have three different avenues of consultation in place for pupils in respect of any difficulties they may encounter. We pride ourselves on being friendly and accessible, and we believe that we live up to this.
These avenues are open for pupils to consult with us without fear of recrimination or prejudice to their tenancy prospects.

As discussed above pupils have a free choice in deciding with whom they first wish to discuss any difficulty. If it becomes apparent from discussion that the problem is in the nature of a grievance, then the problem should be taken by the pupil to the Secretary of the Pupillage Committee. The grievance will be considered by the Chairman of the Pupillage Committee and his decision and the reasons for his decision recorded in writing. The right of appeal from his decision lies with a panel of three members of Chambers’ Board of Directors. This panel will consist of at least one QC. No member of the panel would sit on the Tenancy Committee in that year. Any such decision – and the reason for the decision – will be recorded in writing.

The clerks play a central role in Chambers life. Pupils will have relatively little contact with the clerks during the first six months, but much more during the second six months when all arrangements concerning pupils’ own court work are made directly between the pupil and the clerks. The clerks are happy to help with any matter which is within their sphere.

It is assumed that all pupils wish to apply for a tenancy in Chambers unless they tell their Pupil Supervisor otherwise. Pupils will be requiredto compile and maintain throughout the year a file of all work done by them and feedback received from members of Chambers. No current Pupil Supervisors are eligible to sit on the Tenancy Committee.

Each pupil’s file of work, along with reports from Pupil Supervisors and feedback received from solicitors via the Senior Clerk, will be submitted to the Tenancy Committee who will interview all pupils who wish to apply for tenancy in early July. The recommendation of the committee will be put before a full meeting of Chambers in mid July at which a final decision will be taken. Pupils will be notified on the day of the outcome of that meeting. This is late enough for pupils to have had a chance to impress, but early enough for those who are not offered tenancies to start looking elsewhere in good time.

The decision as to whether to offer a pupil a tenancy in Chambers is one of the most important decisions that Chambers has to make. There is no predetermined number or limit as to how many tenancies Chambers will offer in any given year. Each pupil is assessed on their individual merits and is not in competition with other pupils in Chambers. Although there is no guarantee that tenancies will be offered, in most years at least one of our two pupils have been offered tenancy and, on a number of occasions in the last 10 years, offers of tenancy have been made to both pupils.

We appreciate that pupillage is a very stressful year and that applicants for tenancy will naturally be disappointed if we are unable to offer them a place. We always therefore aim to give maximum assistance to any pupil who is not offered a tenancy. The Pupil Supervisors and other members of Chambers will offer guidance and references in the search for a tenancy or further period of pupillage elsewhere, or for whatever other course each pupil may wish to take. Former pupils of 29 Bedford Row have a very good record of finding tenancies or Third Sixes elsewhere.

Chambers’ pupils who have not been offered tenancies, but who reach agreement with the Head of Chambers to remain in Chambers for a certain time after their pupillage comes to an end, are known as squatters. The length of time that a former pupil may remain in Chambers is a matter for agreement between the Head of Chambers and the former pupil. During this time they will continue to be given work by the clerks as and when available and will pay a contribution towards clerks’ fees and rent of 10% of fees received.

If you have any questions about the application process or about pupillage at 29 Bedford Row, please contact the Secretary to the Pupillage Committee, Charlotte Trace at ctrace@29br.co.uk.