University: Durham University
Degree: English Literature
Year of call: 2021
Position: Barrister
Pronouns: She/her

Why barrister not solicitor?

Becoming a solicitor was never really on the cards for me – I think it’s important to realise that they’re very different jobs. The focus on client handling and being part of a law firm didn’t appeal to me, whereas the independence and oral advocacy available at the Bar did. I did a few vacation schemes to confirm this, which also helped me to develop concrete and experience-based examples to answer this question in interviews. I’d recommend anyone applying for pupillage to do the same.

How much work experience had you had? Why is it so important?

I tried to ensure that my work experience was broad in nature but also focused in terms of practice area. I’d argue that I probably did too many mini-pupillages (around 15) – as a rule, it’s best to only include five, at most, on your application form or CV. Ideally, these should be at chambers with similar practice areas to the chambers you’re applying to (in my case, commercial). I also included vacation schemes and volunteering work. 

Work experience is key for two reasons. First, it shows your commitment to the Bar in general. This includes demonstrating that you have a clear understanding of what it means in practice to be a barrister. Secondly, it evidences your interest in a particular practice area. For example, it enables you to elevate your answers to interview or written application questions, such as “why commercial law?”, by deploying examples of cases you considered and discussed with barristers during work experience, rather than providing academic reasons for your interest.

What was the most difficult part of the recruitment process/application for you?

Initially, I really struggled with interviews. The main obstacle was a lack of confidence. I tackled this by doing numerous practice interviews with anyone who was willing to help me, including mentors, friends who’d obtained pupillage, Bar course supervisors and my former university tutors. Over time, I became more used to talking about myself, my experience and achievements, and better at forming concise answers under pressure. Interview skills certainly come more naturally to some than others but, based on my experience, they’re something that can be dramatically improved with practice.

What sort of work did you get involved with during pupillage?

My experience during pupillage broadly covered three practice areas: construction, shipping and technology, as well as professional negligence, insurance and general broad commercial work, which overlap those three areas. This was a great insight into the broad range of work across all practice areas. I really enjoyed the combination of working on large, high-value disputes with my supervisors and, in my second six, taking on low-value county court cases in my own right. As a junior tenant, I still have a broad practice and enjoy the variety.

What do you wish you’d known about being a pupil before you started that you now do?

You’re not expected to be brilliant at everything immediately. It’s very much a learning process and, while you’re of course being assessed, it’s also fine to make mistakes – as long as you learn from them and improve. At 4 Pump Court, I felt that the objective of pupillage was to get us to the level we needed to be at to become a tenant and form our own practice.

Please outline your area of expertise. What might you do in a typical day?

A large element of my practice involves technical disputes (either construction or technology-based), which requires discussion and coordination with experts – both during the first stages of bringing or defending a claim and in the lead-up to trial. I’ll often spend parts of my day in a conference with an expert to understand the technical elements of a dispute. Then, I’ll likely spend the latter part of the day drafting the relevant documentation or preparing notes for cross-examination and/or submissions. It’s unusual, unless I’m on brief for a trial, for me to deal with only one matter per day – normally I’ll have three or four different matters to address either by email or through conferences. Switching between different cases can be challenging at first, but it becomes easier over time.  

What is the work/life balance like at your chambers? How often do you have late nights/work at weekends?

The work/life balance is very much what you make of it. It’s very possible at a set like 4 Pump Court to take on too much and find yourself working all the time. The key is learning time management. There’s always the possibility that during a trial or an urgent application you might need to work all weekend; however, I try to make this the exception, not the norm.

Describe the chambers in three words.

Collegiate, forward-thinking and driven.

What do you most/least enjoy about your career as a barrister and why?

One of the best things about the Bar is the independence and ability to run your own career. When I was applying for pupillage, I’m not sure I truly appreciated the meaning or value of this independence. It doesn’t necessarily mean choosing what you do each day or what hours you work – those things might still be dictated by clients or leaders. However, I really enjoy the fact that I can change the course of my career without having to apply for a new role, through marketing myself and showing interest in particular areas.

What’s the biggest opportunity you’ve been given since being called to the Bar?

As a junior barrister in two different arbitrations this year, I’ve had the opportunity to conduct some of the advocacy (cross-examination in the first and re-examination in the second). While I have my own cases where I appear as the sole advocate, it was particularly rewarding to experience witness handling in high value and complex disputes. There’s a huge push at the commercial Bar to provide junior barristers with advocacy opportunities in led cases. For juniors on a case, I’d very much recommend speaking to your leader to see whether there’s any scope for taking on part of the advocacy.

What advice do you have for budding barristers who are contemplating a career in law?

As well as undertaking legal work experience, I’d advise aspiring barristers to focus on mooting or another form of public speaking and written advocacy (through essay competitions, journals or anything else you can think of!). All of these things are accessible, usually free, and, if you’re in two minds about a career at the Bar, they’ll help you decide whether it’s for you.

Positions of leadership, such as being president of a society, are also useful for building your skill set and providing good examples for those tricky competency questions that invariably arise in pupillage interviews (eg, “Can you tell me about a time when you had to persuade someone to your view?”). This is particularly relevant for candidates who aren’t career changers and are applying straight from university.

What are you reading at the moment?

The Day of the Triffids – by John Wyndham. It’s a sci-fi, post-apocalyptic novel that imagines a world where everyone, apart from a lucky few, is blinded by a meteor and the earth is plagued by killer plants.