Tip 5: You will be nervous (if you are human), but try to relax and be normal, without being matey or inappropriately informal. Why then make it so hard to become a barrister? Looking back, I was fortunate not to have a chair thrown at me. My brilliant colleague in Chambers, Adam Constable QC, says that as a barrister you should be on average 30% nervous all the time. Two stages for the interview process: 1) Written test - Choose one question from three legal questions and answer it in essay format - Answer must be sent via email within 30 minutes of receiving it 2) Virtual interview - Two interviewers who are partners at the firm . Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. This is a period of learning and training for prospective barristers or advocates and typically lasts a year. The UK justice system is constantly under scrutiny, so its important that you give an answer that reflects where you think the Bar is currently and demonstrates that you have an understanding of the challenges that the legal profession faces and how they can be overcome. Thu 30 May 2013 04.00 EDT. Luck is the clincher. 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). Applying for pupillage has dominated my Januarys and Februarys for the past two years and I wanted to share one incredibly frustrating experience I have had following the latest round of applications/interviews. Mine certainly did, as I was sure I did not want to do crime, but it turns out I love advocacy and my criminal pupillage meant for daily fun and excitement. Some pupillage interview feedback. Tip 1: If you get through the pupillage application stage and you are now preparing for a pupillage interview, well done. This cookie is set by linkedIn. for a first-round interview or to candidates who attended a first-round interview but did not reach a second-round interview. In some chambers, the whole Pupillage Recruitment Committee (PRC) will be in your second-round interview! Prepare for this by thinking about how barristers you may have seen in mini-pupillages did this, and what you would change about that. 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 second point is that 30% is enough so that you are motivated to do lots of prep work, check everything and pay meticulous attention to detail. Pupillages are generally offered almost 18 months in advance of their start dates. I do not mean you shouldn't prepare for the interview and give it your best, but the outcome is out of your control. Practise with a friend. And think about the type of client you are advising just a solicitor or an experienced company director, or an ordinary person who will need legal terms explaining. Tip 5: At the end of an interview, we tend to ask if you have any questions for us. Value yourself a. Chambers are only able to interview a small minority of applicants. Or are you proactive, responsive and adaptable? These are some of the most widely debated topics in law, both historically and today. Most experience of life, even if not obviously relevant to practice at the bar, is a learning experience, and could help the panel get to know you as a person. Second, if you can, find out who is going to be on the panel interviewing you. There are even UK nationals who secure jobs abroad during the time in-between the BTC and pupillage who are now at a disadvantage. This cookie is set by doubleclick.net. This is another deliberate question asked by pupillage interview panels to gauge what you think makes a good barrister. You might be asked to give your view on a current legal issue whichyoufind interesting (ie you pick the specific topic). Tip 1: Pause for thought. Although you are being interviewed, you are also interviewing. What was good, what was bad? Do you mind if I take a second to think about that question? obviously dont make the silence too long but its totally fine to ask this. 5. I also shared snippets of my successful Clifford Chance application to show how differently I had phrased my answers. Debate-Related Pupillage Interview Questions. I find this poor. Competency is not all about how you perform as a barrister, its also about how you react in the face of adversity. Finally, try and enjoy the process: if you enjoy the challenge of grappling with an abstract legal problem, this will definitely show in how you present yourself and is much more likely to engender a strong, confident performance. Should attempted suicide be criminalised. If you did that, it would actually be a point against you because we are interested in the analysis of the principles and not how many cases you know. This cookie is native to PHP applications. Here you can showcase your advocacy skills and other skills that you have which a good barrister would use. In case you have not read the About section of my website, I initially embarked on a career at the Bar. This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. 10 Examples Of Interview Feedback You Can Use. While you are speaking you may be interrupted and challenged on one or more points in your argument. For more detailed information about the cookies we use, see our. Youll do much better if youre appropriately confident. All of the skills above are what you should be thinking about in your daily life that you can apply to them. You should also be aware of the changes affecting the regulation of the profession so, in addition to the news websites, keep up to date with publications by the Bar Standards Board (BSB). What is the BTC and How Can I Fund My Studies? 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. 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 . Identify them and work on them. One of the instructions in our guidance notes is "This is not a role play. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. LOLZ! You will deserve everything you get. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. And dont give up on your passion, no matter what happens. See our top tips on commercial pupillage . Research the chambers . We ask any questions? at the end, but most people say no and personally Im not impressed by question-askers. Are you reactive, defensive or dismissive? Recently, in a series of tweets on the @ExcPupillage account some of my top tips for pupillage interview preparation were shared. I understand that members of chambers give up their very precious time to sift through applications and conduct interviews, but I do not consider it unreasonable for candidates to expect feedback when they have made it so far through the recruitment process. For several interviews thereafter, I cleared my throat and proudly declared my thirst for justice, passion for advocacy and burning need to help the helpless, voice the voiceless and improve the unimprovable. None, Im afraid, will stand you out in the memory of the panel. Be conscious of any mistakes, umms or ahs. We a legal jobs marketplace exclusively for paralegals, law support staff and law firms only. You will read how your contemporaries spent a year as an intern on an international human rights case, or have written starry and brilliant articles, theses or even books on esoteric and impressively complex aspects of your chosen legal field. 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). To give you another illustration, we always say "our problems are not a test of your legal knowledge". Temperament/personality: the ability to remain calm, objective and confident while working under pressure with complex or unfamiliar material. This cookie is used by vimeo to collect tracking information. Nepotism and inherited privilege shouldnt have their place at the modern Bar, but they linger. We dont expect you to know anything about that, but commercial practice more generally). This is intended to assess how you perform under pressure. Some chambers do things the old-fashioned way. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". I received no response to this email and therefore, sent a further email on 20 May, once again asking for feedback from the panel, and checking they had received my previous correspondence. Just remember, for every failure, the next day there may be a success for you to grab on to. What do you do, why and what approach do you take? Instead, you will be expected to present a logical, well-presented and well-structured argument to address a hotly debated topic relating to law. Be prepared, particularly during the second round, for a panel of four or five interviewers, perhaps even more. Think about whether you could be them in a few years and what type of cases they are doing. Kieran Alker is a first class law graduate. Look at Legal500, Chambers and Partners and read into some of the cases the Barristers have been in. When answering this question, you must make it personal to you and immediately refer to your experiences to back up your reasons for wanting to be a barrister. Tip 5: Treat applying to the Bar as if it is a case. Read the guidance notes which will indicate how to tackle it and present it. I think the answer is to bear in mind that what the panel is interested in is not what you think but how you think. Read about the steps involved in becoming a barrister here. Instead, try to ask engaging questions that elicit information that is not readily available but which is important to you. Answers are more impressive when supported by experience of the Bar and the law. This is a really loaded question, but one you may have to answer. However, dont ask questions you should know the answer to; chambers will often provide a great deal of information about pupillage on their website. Applications for pupillage with Mountford Chambers commencing in 2024. Part of the Dukes Education family Together we're extraordinary. . It does not correspond to any user ID in the web application and does not store any personally identifiable information. You must be aware of recent changes in legislation affecting the areas of law in which chambers specialise. I advise you not to close yourself off from experiencing different areas of law, even those you think you might not like. Just be a human being. Smile. 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. Tip 2: Play the game and give the Sets you are interviewing at what they want. 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. Use The Beginners Guide to a Career in Law to get started, Find out about the various legal apprenticeships on offer and browse vacancies with The Law Apprenticeships Guide, Information on qualifying through the Solicitors Qualifying Exam, including preparation courses, study resources, QWE and more, Discover everything you need to know about developing your knowledge of the business world and its impact on the law, The latest news and updates on the actions being taken to improve diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, Discover advice to help you prepare for and ace your vacation scheme, training contract and pupillage applications, Your first-year guide to a career in law find out how to kickstart your legal career at this early stage, Your non-law guide to a career in law everything you need to know about converting to law. This can seem equally daunting whether you are facing the interview panel across a desk, or they are all peering out at you from your screen. For example: You have accepted pupillage with one set of chambers. But try not to be fazed. Chambers usually know this a week before your interview. China tea-pot, warm smiles, civil conversation. Your substantive legal knowledge is not being tested (legal materials are usually provided) hence you cannot prepare for the exercise in a formal sense. Have confidence in yourself! It does not store any personal data. Be prepared, particularly during the second round, for a panel of four . In the gap year between the pupillage application window reopening, keep engaging with . Browse all legal jobs in one place anytime anywhere. The disdain from the panel was palpable. This cookie is to identify the source of a visit and store user action information about it in a cookies. This cookies are used to collect analytical information about how visitors use the website. Gather intelligence and get an idea of the work they really do. An interactive law experience. Written feedback is available for applicants who reach the interview stage - any request for feedback must be made within seven days of the outcome of the interview. Let us now get into what we actually came here to read: top tips for pupillage interviews from EIGHT silks! 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. Should foreign criminals be deported after serving their sentence? The point of a mock interview is to get an objective assessment of how you come across. 4. Have you identified the key points in the problem? Tip 7: If you have special circumstances that need to be taken account of, do not hide it away. Follow SBs advice. Instead, you will be expected to present a logical, well-presented and well-structured argument to address a hotly debated topic relating to law. Ask for feedback and compare your notes to the feedback you're given by the interviewer. Theres a mystique about the forensic skills and startling intelligence of barristers. In two days of this article being released, we had over 2000 views and several messages saying it was some of the most detailed pupillage advice the pupillage hopefuls had seen. They know what they do. 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. Read publications and websites such as. I think just take a deep breath and try your best. Look at their website, but not just their website. You must take responsibility for accessing all the information there is on the web, Bar School, Chambers, Inns and the Bar Council that you understand what the process is about. 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. What is a CPS Pupillage and How Do I Get One? First, do your research about the chambers you have an interview with so you know what their practice areas are very well. Where it says, in those now notoriously large and famously friendly letters, Dont Panic.. Where are the weak points? It sounds obvious, but nerves in interview upend the most poised performers in your advocacy classes. Even if its something as simple as, Roughly how long does it take for your junior tenants to start appearing regularly in the Crown Court? If you really cant think of a good question, dont ask a bad one. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visted in an anonymous form. This quiz is designed to give you a helpful steer as to which practice area you might be suited to. The application process begins with a two-day mini pupillage (or if necessary a virtual mini pupillage of one and a half days). I would have not gotten it if I had done the interview the day before. Keep up to date with current affairs. For all the latest commercial awareness info, and advance notification of Legal Cheek's careers events: Follows letter from wannabe barrister first reported by Legal Cheek, Aspiring barrister Noah Gifford describes common practice among chambers as insulting in open letter. Be familiar with the areas of law that the set practises in and rehearse how to advocate your case for how its work ties in with your own interests and skills. Another set, which you prefer and have always wanted to join, then makes you an offer a week later. First rounds tend to be shorter in duration: you may be asked something based on your pupillage application (so make sure you know it inside out) and/or given a proposition to debate. Should minors be charged as adults for heinous crimes? Oh, and under no circumstances ask, Did I get the job?! (Life at the Bar is much the same.) You wont be asked about anything obscure. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. This is usually shown through your academic achievements and publications. There are a million variables that may influence your chances in any given interview. The cookie helps in reporting and personalization as well. Tip 4: As difficult as it is, do not care about the outcome. Be prepared succinctly to summarise the main point, explain what was interesting, what your view was and what the arguments against were. How do you cope with being turned down? Unlike previous years however, I did manage to secure a second-round interview at a chambers I liked, and I thought that both interviews went well. What exactly did you learn? Tip 2: It can be a daunting experience to be presented in front of a panel of barristers asking questions. Perhaps role-play something similar with your friends. The third is remembering that although interviews always feel like the panel are trying to trip you up or trick you, theyre not. At the end of the interview, you may be asked if you have any questions. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Forget clich and invention and speak plainly. Intellect: the ability to grasp complex information and identify key issues quickly and effectively. According to The Inner Temple, this is a genuine question asked by some chambers interview panels. Tip 2: It can be a daunting experience to be presented in front of a panel of barristers asking questions.So it can be helpful to set yourself at ease. 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. The Panel are looking to assess your raw intellectual competence, your ability to digest and consider information and your oral advocacy. How to approach pupillage interviews. One set referred to this as "sparkle". Some take a sadistic pleasure in setting you Total Wipeout style obstacle courses at a seconds notice.
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