If youre seduced by the idea of parading about in a wig, bands and a gown, grow up. So dont strain yourself stretching for originality; aim for simple honest sincerity. When people make an effort to understand what the Sets they are interviewing at actually specialise in, they are the ones that really stand out. Professor Jo was very kind and shared the link of an extremely detailed talk she did at Gresham on understanding everything to do with getting into the Bar. 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Nepotism and inherited privilege shouldnt have their place at the modern Bar, but they linger. Legal Twitter (start with @davidallengreen and @BarristerSecret and go on from there) is constantly discussing law-related current affairs and might help you form a view and see what the counter-arguments are. If not, scour the chambers website for self-congratulatory guff about ethos and values and try to pass those off as your own. If your form includes reference to specific cases you enjoyed studying or were interesting to research on a mini, or even a topic you wrote a dissertation on, expect to be asked more about that. Looking at the profiles of other junior tenants on the chambers website can be a sobering experience. I am not apologetic in saying that to you because the one thing you are going to have to demonstrate if you want to be a barrister is that you are self-directed, self-motivated and independent learner who is prepared to seek out information yourself and then apply it to the courts. Research the chambers . When watching the case, do not look at what the senior members of chambers are doing alone, look at what the juniors are doing. Do not wait until that stage until you practise. Pupillage | Doughty Street Chambers If the Set interviewing you does not go for it, then they are not the right Set for you. There is no way I would have gotten silk because I simply had not set the memory track between my brain and my tongue to let the words come out with the ease with which I had them in my head. You can accept or reject cookies which are not essential for the site to work by clicking on the Cookie settings below. Many will have Masters degrees. Pupillage interview season is looming. The purpose of this cookie is to synchronize the ID across many different Microsoft domains to enable user tracking. We hope the above helps and we would love to hear from you in the comments below if it does. You might be asked about something specific to the type of work done by the chambers to which you are applying. Competition for pupillage is tough, as everyone who passes the application stage knows (seeApplying yourself to pupillagefor more), so being invited to an interview is an achievement in itself. What do you do, why and what approach do you take? Don't be too arrogant "when I get pupillage here I will". Impact: the way in which you express and handle yourself during interview. You will need to demonstrate that you can answer without using jargon to ensure that you are fully understood. Therefore, to that extent at least, you control the narrative of your interview. It can reveal a lot about your character and the characteristics you potentially view as making someone a good barrister. for a first-round interview or to candidates who attended a first-round interview but did not reach a second-round interview. But from my understanding, and certainly in our set, it is much more common to have a structured problem-based interview than it is to have a general interview that asks questions about an interviewee's interests etc. The cookie is used by cdn services like CloudFlare to identify individual clients behind a shared IP address and apply security settings on a per-client basis. Some questions you could be asked include: This question is asked to assess your advocacy skills and your ability to present a reasoned, logical, compelling and well-structured argument. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Barristers in chambers often work as a collective to solve problems. Before the interview. But dont be overawed by the invitation to discuss yourself in front of members of chambers who are only there because they have to do their turn at interviewing. Point 8 simply reminds me of The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy when it says: The nearest approach the Guide makes to this matter is on page seven-thousand-and-twenty-three, which includes the words expect the unexpected. This advice has annoyed many Hitch-Hikers in that it is A glib, and B a contradiction in terms. Keep up to date with current affairs. Identify them and work on them. Your substantive legal knowledge is not being tested (legal materials are usually provided) hence you cannot prepare for the exercise in a formal sense. But you only need one good interview, so dont beat yourself up too much about the ones that go badly. Tip 2:Research what barristers say about the set/their practice area. Having had the privilege of seeing life from both sides of the interview table, I thought Id offer my own, largely worthless musings on the things I have learned. There may be other reasons for it, but sometimes we just do not spot your potential. This, Im afraid, is the reality. Watch Rebecca, Shanthi, Max and Colm, all recent ULaw BPTC students with pupillage, under. If youre asked this question, you should take one aspect of Brexit that you are familiar with and give a well-structured answer as to how that one aspect has changed UK law. Thu 30 May 2013 04.00 EDT. we gear our entire lives around trying to secure one. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Have you been able to use what you learned yourself, whether in a moot or discussion with a university committee or something else? The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visted in an anonymous form. Be prepared succinctly to summarise the main point, explain what was interesting, what your view was and what the arguments against were. While you are speaking you may be interrupted and challenged on one or more points in your argument. But what are they and which one to choose? Pupillage interview panels will not expect you to be strong in every area of the law. . Tip 3: Be ready to talk about things on your CV in more detail, and also to explain any gaps there may be on your CV. ), focuses on tips from juniors and more established practitioners. And since pupillage interviews have a good deal in common with appearances in court they are a form of oral advocacy the (apparently) relaxed interviewee will make a better impression than the obviously nervous or unhappy one. Have you applied for pupillage but feeling unsure about what the interview process will be like?In this video, you will receive advice from members of Coram . 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At my first ever interview, I span a fluffy cat story about how I was inspired by the story of somebody I met on a mini-pupillage, and how I aspired to tread in their footsteps. You need to know this answer off the top of your head, but practice making it sound spontaneous and sincere. Make sure you have properly understood what it is really like to work at that set and/or in that practice area (broadly described:for example my chambers does construction. Be prepared, particularly during the second round, for a panel of four or five interviewers, perhaps even more. How to approach pupillage interviews Ishan Kolhatkar Tip 3: When it comes to the actual interview, different chambers have different modes of interview. Practically everyone answering this question mentions intellectual challenge, advocacy and the advantages of being self-employed. And at the criminal Bar, whatever brickbats we throw at the system and the punitive lifestyle the Bar engenders, life is never, ever dull. Chambers will expect you to provide details and develop points; they will be put off by vague and unclear answers. This domain of this cookie is owned by Vimeo. Tagged: pupillage, pupillageapplications, pupillagegateway, pupillageinterview, bptc, btc, aspiringbarristers, aspiringbarrister, silk, junior, establishedpractitioners, theBar. Constructive feedback makes people feel like their time and effort have been valued and goes a long way to softening the blow of an otherwise harsh rejection email. Second round interviews are more intensive, and candidates are usually given a set of papers to review, following which they present an argument to the interview Panel. It is worth saying because remember chambers are looking to help you. You might be asked to give your view on a current legal issue whichyoufind interesting (ie you pick the specific topic). If you are applying to criminal sets, the Secret Barristers books are essential background reading. Arguably the biggest issue to affect UK law in recent years, Brexit is a huge topic. Dont be. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Its boring but it works. Use this guide to discover some of the pupillage interview questions you could face, and how to respond. The . I think just take a deep breath and try your best. Prepare your answers so that they provide more evidence to the panel of the skills that the chambers is looking for, as set out in that chambers selection criteria which pretty much all sets now publish. Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. With a twitter and LinkedIn profile, you can see what people are doing in their professional and personal life. Try to react positively and dont be afraid to stick to your point. We also received over 50 requests for an article on tips for pupillage interviews. Make sure youve read and watched those for your sets. Just do your best. Read the guidance notes which will indicate how to tackle it and present it. Receiving an invitation to an interview creates the initial . Its very likely that youll be asked some questions about information you have included in your application. Kalisher Trust Preparation for pupillage interviews- Tuesday 23 February 2021 at 5pm Welcome Garry Green Katrina Walcott Rhiannon Crimmins Camilla Darling DIVERSITY 1. When you are applying to the Bar, you have to understand that it is an incredibly competitive business, against very able people, who will all want the same things as you, and will have the same skills that they are trying to deploy as you. Even though it will probably feel very unequal, the interview should be as much an opportunity for you to think about whether you want to be surrounded by the people interviewing you and the ethos of the chambers. this is so user unfriendly that it is ridiculous, no way it seems to bespoke a search for say on gateway and off-gateway, how many pupillages offered or by specialities. 5. Pupillage Interview | The Lawyer Portal I feel strongly that the profession needs to change the way it operates and recruits because of the young talent it ultimately passes by, and I feel that making personalised feedback mandatory for candidates who have secured an interview, would be one very small way of changing it for the better. Ask for the question to be repeated and drink some water to give yourself a little time to compose yourself and think about your answer. Some sets will hold only one interview for pupillage candidates, but most will hold two. You will be giving a variant of an answer the panel has heard a thousand times before. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. But because that is the case, expecting people to be in the same country, let alone close vicinity, that far in . How to approach pupillage interviews. You will always do your best when you are relaxed and enjoying the challenge with which you are faced. Going out for a walk. Your CV counts for absolutely nothing when youre sitting in a cell opposite a screaming heroin addict who has stabbed his cellmate in the eye and is threatening to exact upon you his frustration that his solicitor hasnt been to visit him. This information is used to compile report and improve site. This cookies is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos. Copyright 2023 Legal Cheek Ltd. All Rights Reserved. This question is deliberately asked to assess your commitment to the Bar. However, as long as you prepare properly for a pupillage interview, there's always a chance that you're the lucky applicant. As a result, chambers can be highly individualistic. You'll need to be able to back up what you say about yourself with evidence from your work . It sets a unique ID to embed videos to the website. They know what they do. Do some research on the different types of tasks you might be given at a pupillage interview and practise them too. You really need to be familiar with why you want to be there and why they should want you and this is all about preparation. The juniors gave very thorough comments on one of my failed pupillage applications. So make sure you understand what is expected of you so that you perform to that expectation. Here is a short list of competencies for the Bar: Getting into the Bar requires resilience, adaptability and determination. Are you reactive, defensive or dismissive? 10 Examples Of Interview Feedback You Can Use. All it takes to break a losing streak is just one lucky win. Debate-related pupillage interview questions are more difficult to prepare for, but you won't be expected to solve a specific problem in two minutes. The Times has today published a fine piece on applying for pupillage, reflecting the advice and experience of some survivors of the process, both applicants and interviewers. This is also not taking into account the fact that the vast majority of applicants will have spent many hours applying for, and then working in jobs which they feel will make their pupillage applications stronger, i.e. This is to see how you cope under pressure. Although you are being interviewed, you are also interviewing. Again, an interview staple. Your judgment and powers of advocacy are the skills that cant be reflected on pornographic CVs, and are the ones that matter most. *Please bear in mind this was five years ago, a lot has changed since then and there are plenty of resources and organisations you can reach out to for assistance these are detailed in the article below. I genuinely dont think hobbies etc make a difference (except maybe if theyre done to a really high level, and even then, imo they only make a difference on the paper sift). As a barrister, you have got to be a problem solver. Look at Legal500, Chambers and Partners and read into some of the cases the Barristers have been in. Its a pressured situation. You can then avoid making common mistakes. But try not to be fazed. Bring your personal and family life experiences to interview and into your Some pupillage interview feedback. Use the information you get to relate it to your own skills and experience, so that answers you give (a) are informed and credible and (b) provide evidence you personally meet their selection criteria. You will hear competing theories over whether you do in fact need to have a prepared response to the final, dreaded, Do you have anything youd like to ask us? My advice is to have at least three questions in your back pocket (just in case the panel unhelpfully answer one or two of them in the course of the interview). Another set, which you prefer and have always wanted to join, then makes you an offer a week later. Read and reread your application form. Tip 5: Treat applying to the Bar as if it is a case. However, in most cases the selection process will include a practical exercise and an interview (usually two). Intellect: the ability to grasp complex information and identify key issues quickly and effectively. Quick Q&A: The Supreme Court decision on John Worboys victims and police failings, pupillage statistics speak for themselves, Heres whats wrong with Labours attack ads on crime. For example, at our chambers, we set different problem questions every year. Every answer you give should come with examples of things that you have done at university, during work experience, in your spare time and in general life. None, Im afraid, will stand you out in the memory of the panel. 10 Examples Of Interview Feedback You Can Use In Your Next Interview Tip 5: You will be nervous (if you are human), but try to relax and be normal, without being matey or inappropriately informal. The point of a mock interview is to get an objective assessment of how you come across. How to ace your pupillage interview: tips from qualified barristers P - Preparation When you think about interviews from the point of view of the interviewer, they will have heard most answers before. One of the things I struggled with in 2017 as an aspiring barrister (especially as an individual that moved to the UK only for my studies) was finding information in terms of what to expect in the application process, how to prepare and the realities of the journey. And that is the very best impression you can leave. Smile. If there is a case coming up, go and see if you can sit in it. Deep breaths, slow and considered responses and substituting a brief pause for umm or err or, heaven forfend, like, are mandatory habits. When is human trafficking not human trafficking? Be careful with what you put out there. YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video. I was so bad because I thought I had the answers in my head, but I had not practised getting them out. It seems to me that you write a good deal about the lack of resources in the court system, including the lack of trained personnel. But the same basic social rules apply in both circumstances make eye contact by looking into your webcam when answering questions and take note of everyones names so that you can speak to them individually throughout the different stages of the interview. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". The Panel are looking to assess your raw intellectual competence, your ability to digest and consider information and your oral advocacy. Even though I am now actually a Trainee Solicitor at Clifford Chance, I am a huge believer in making the legal profession accessible for all (be it for aspiring barristers or aspiring solicitors). In addition to pupillage questions, you may be asked to undertake practical exercises as part of your pupillage interview process. This question is asked to assess how diplomatic you can be and argue a case sensitively and professionally without feeling conflicted. A guide to pupillage interviews - Features Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Your answer should be sincere, and perhaps you can draw on your experiences of seeing a good barrister in action in Court who you thought demonstrated great character when handling a difficult case. The fact that a chambers (as in this case), can congratulate you for securing a second-round interview, and identify how incredibly competitive the process was, in the same email as refusing to provide feedback, to me is confusing and demonstrates a reluctance to help future colleagues in contradiction to the posts I see on social media platforms all the time from members of the profession. BTC graduate and aspiring barrister Kieran Alker recounts his frustrating experience and suggests a way to improve the process. Id only add that for most applicants its intimidating being interviewed by barristers. There are even UK nationals who secure jobs abroad during the time in-between the BTC and pupillage who are now at a disadvantage. These exercises are meant to simulate what might happen in court or at a tribunal. Through my blog, I share information I wish I had access to back in the day. The third is remembering that although interviews always feel like the panel are trying to trip you up or trick you, theyre not. Then some basic questions like "Where do you see yourself in 5 years". This does not mean to say you will not be brilliant in another application or another career if you decide to move, but failure is just something you are going to have to get used to mortifying, humiliating and painful as it is, because it will be part of your working life. P - Passion When you are in an interview and you meet someone who is genuinely interested and engaged, it makes such a big difference. Dont just put stuff on your form for the sake of making it stand out. As an advocate, your very purpose is to convince the Court that you have the better case; an interview is no different. Impromptu presentations on random subjects; a Dragons Den pitch on something I had two minutes to invent; idiotic Oxbridge-interview questions (If you were a banana, what car would you drive? etc); deliberately confusing written exercises and needlessly aggressive interview styles were, and probably still are, all common features. If, for example, you see something on the chambers website about an individual barrister, or a blog or news section that particularly appealed to you, these are the sorts of things you should think about talking about. What separates you from the herd in the eyes of the interviewers is often wholly arbitrary and unexpected. I would have not gotten it if I had done the interview the day before. Its also not enough to derail you. In fact, the very best advice it has to offer in these situations is to be found on the cover. There may also be limited notice or preparation time (eg, you may be sent the task 20 minutes to an hour before the interview itself). Perhaps role-play something similar with your friends. Instead, you will be expected to present a logical, well-presented and well-structured argument to address a hotly debated topic relating to law. Read the Bar Code of Conduct, in the BSB Handbook, available from the BSB. Just be a human being. Mock interviews are essential. "It is the same for pupillage." Meanwhile, in 2017, Legal Cheek reported that an aspiring barrister had been left "astonished" after chambers asked her to pay a 10 administration fee to obtain feedback. However, despite this, I found out that I had been unsuccessful at 3pm on 7 May by email, having stared obsessively at my phone all day, waiting to learn of the decision. According to The Inner Temple, this is a genuine question asked by some chambers interview panels. Just remember, for every failure, the next day there may be a success for you to grab on to. Pupillage - Twenty Essex My carefully crafted applications have been sent out into the ether, landing in the laps of barristers up and down the country to be sifted through and sorted into piles of 'yes', 'no' and 'never in a million years'. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. The response was incredible. Tip 3: Do not try to impress the people you are interviewing. Keep up to date with the legal news and changes affecting the areas in which you intend to specialise. You will have rejections for pupillage. How do we force cowardly murderers to face up to what they have done? So you can take comfort from the fact that youresupposedto feel fairly pressured. Linkedin - Used to track visitors on multiple websites, in order to present relevant advertisement based on the visitor's preferences. Where it says, in those now notoriously large and famously friendly letters, Dont Panic.. They show that you are human, intriguing and the kind of person that the interviewer actively wants to find out more about. First, do your research about the chambers you have an interview with so you know what their practice areas are very well. Be honest, but ensure that you give clear explanations why you have considered other careers and why you ultimately chose to pursue a career as a barrister.