Chancery Bar Association holds annual careers fair for students

On Saturday 16 November Gray’s Inn played host to the Chancery Bar Association annual careers fair for students interested in pursuing a career at the Bar.

The event met with keen interest from students, with over 300 people registering to attend. They had the opportunity to meet members from a number of sets, including 11 Stone Buildings, Ten Old Square and Pump Court Tax Chambers. As well as time to network with barristers and those responsible for pupillage recruitment, the fair included presentations from barristers specialising in various practice areas; attendees heard about traditional and commercial chancery practice, professional negligence and revenue law. Lauren le Franc, a first-year student at BPP Law School, commented that representatives had urged her to "find a chambers that suits your personality and ambitions".

The students were brought together for two panel discussions during the day; these focused on the route to qualification and advice for making pupillage applications. LawCareers.Net's editor, Isla Grant, took part in the second panel Q&A, joining Camilla Lamont (pupillage supervisor at Landmark Chambers), Martin Hutchings QC (head of the pupillage committee at Wilberforce Chambers) and Katie Gray (pupil at Tanfield Chambers).

Questions covered a broad range of queries, including whether holding a 2.1 degree would be regarded as a disadvantage, which activities a chambers would view favourably and the most bizarre question to have been asked at an interview. The panel emphasised the importance of brevity in application answers, particularly keeping in mind that many chambers have limited time and resources to review forms. Hutchings urged candidates to "get into the mind-set of those who would be interviewing them" and carefully think about the kind of question and problem scenarios that they will be likely to face.

To read more about a career at the chancery Bar, visit the association’s website. Further advice on pupillage applications and interviews can be found in the Barristers section.