China tea-pot, warm smiles, civil conversation. Make sure youve read and watched those for your sets. Yes, its a lot of work. There are three reasons, in my view. Recognise your achievement. Deep breaths, slow and considered responses and substituting a brief pause for umm or err or, heaven forfend, like, are mandatory habits. It is also acceptable to ask for a minute to compose yourself as a rushed answer looks worse than asking for time to think about your answer. Why then make it so hard to become a barrister? There are a million variables that may influence your chances in any given interview. 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In other words, you are not expected to identify ten points and read off the leading Supreme Court cases about those points. You will have rejections for pupillage. We dont expect you to know anything about that, but commercial practice more generally). These exercises are meant to simulate what might happen in court or at a tribunal. On 25 May I then received a response which stated that the chambers could not offer any feedback, except to say that 2 of the applicants were a little better and they were successful. Pupillage interview preparation. Looking at the profiles of other junior tenants on the chambers website can be a sobering experience. How do we force cowardly murderers to face up to what they have done? Again, an interview staple. Debate-Related Pupillage Interview Questions. Look at their website, but not just their website. But because that is the case, expecting people to be in the same country, let alone close vicinity, that far in . Read about the steps involved in becoming a barrister here. You have the advantage of the panel when it comes to your interviews. Where it says, in those now notoriously large and famously friendly letters, Dont Panic.. Be yourself. This, Im afraid, is the reality. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors. . 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. However, there are certain qualities that chambers tend to look for in prospective pupils. Copyright 2023 Legal Cheek Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Practise with a friend. I just dont seem to have any. 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. The interview procedures adopted by chambers can be very varied. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed. They want you to give the right answer and to respond well to their questions. 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. 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. Unstructured answers are apt to confuse, or to suggest confused thinking. Keep up to date with the legal news and changes affecting the areas in which you intend to specialise. The right answer to this question (at least if I am interviewing) is to show you understand what work junior tenants at the chambers do (probably not something you can find out from the website go to chambers events/law fairs etc and ask) and explain convincingly why this kind of work interests you. BTC graduate and aspiring barrister Kieran Alker recounts his frustrating experience and suggests a way to improve the process. 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. Look at Legal500, Chambers and Partners and read into some of the cases the Barristers have been in. So remember, it is not important what the first answer you give is, but how you respond to questions after in the course of the interview. Luck is the clincher. Competency is not all about how you perform as a barrister, its also about how you react in the face of adversity. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. Read a quality news website regularly. Be prepared, particularly during the second round, for a panel of four or five interviewers, perhaps even more. All of the skills above are what you should be thinking about in your daily life that you can apply to them. 4. Can you think logically and present your arguments succinctly and persuasively? Its important to be prepared for your pupillage interview. As with all tests or exams, you should be provided with a pack that contains everything about what you are expected to do. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visted in an anonymous form. Upcoming pupillage interview? | Inner Temple We hope the above helps and we would love to hear from you in the comments below if it does. Surely, the least chambers can do to support those battling incredible odds to try and enter a profession which is becoming harder and harder to enter every year, is to provide feedback to those who fall at the final hurdle. Here is a short list of competencies for the Bar: Getting into the Bar requires resilience, adaptability and determination. However, dont ask questions you should know the answer to; chambers will often provide a great deal of information about pupillage on their website. *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. Pupillages are generally offered almost 18 months in advance of their start dates. You are expressly prohibited from electronically storing any material found here or republishing it by any means. Tip 1: Google and thoroughly research your chambers. A common interview trick is to ask you to argue one side of a debate, before immediately inviting you to argue the opposite. Perhaps role-play something similar with your friends. 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. Aspects of this include how articulate, confident and perceptive you are. They know what they do. Please note that you must have already secured a pupillage interview to be eligible for this scheme. The feedback will help you identify any gaps in an application. Task Then specify the task meaning the outcome you were trying to achieve. littlelegsldn. Legal Cheek has reviews and ratings of many sets (some specifically from a pupillage perspective). They are usually unpleasant experiences (I hated them!) We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Law Work Experience: Your Guide to Success, Pupillage: a Guide for Aspiring Barristers, changed the way the legal system has to operate, How to Land a Pupillage Event: 5 Things I Learned. Like so many others applicants, I failed to secure a pupillage this year which in itself is very frustrating and disheartening (to say the least). Some of your interviews will go badly, some may be an unmitigated disaster. Remember, if you are a member of Inner Temple you can contact the Education & Training Department to apply for a mock interview under the Inn's Mock Interview Scheme. It seems that it is equally applicable to pupillage interviews. Tip 4: Bearing in mind that a pupillage interview is a daunting experience, remind yourself that the panel are people who want you to succeed. This cookie is set by linkedIn. For example, at our chambers, we set different problem questions every year. A lack of questions could be perceived as a lack of interest, so ensure that you have your questions to hand or memorised, because you wont get another opportunity to ask them. Your performance at interview plus any presentation or advocacy exercise will be used to assess this. So when you are asked questions, to probe your answer, it is really important not to think that this is not some underhand attempt to trap you to give a wrong answer and it is equally important not to think that changing your mind in response to a question or suggestion is always a bad thing or means that you are revealing some failing. So dont strain yourself stretching for originality; aim for simple honest sincerity. What is a CPS Pupillage and How Do I Get One? Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. In case you have not read the About section of my website, I initially embarked on a career at the Bar. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. You will always do your best when you are relaxed and enjoying the challenge with which you are faced. To this end, I wrote to a few silks, other established practitioners and some juniors at the Bar to see if we could collaborate on an article regarding pupillage interviews. As a barrister, you have got to be a problem solver. 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 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. Have you identified the key points in the problem? candidates for interview; and 7 May: Pupillage offers are made. Others might feel like they know what they want to do and may opt for very niche areas. 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. Just do your best. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Have confidence in yourself! Can you remain impartial and stick to the facts of a case and use those to present a logical reason for disagreeing with the outcome of a case. Its a pressured situation. So you cant really give a wrong answer; you just need to be able to argue in support of it. 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. Perfect what you want to say. Your CV and experiences will form the basis of pupillage interview questions you are asked. This domain of this cookie is owned by Vimeo. Tip 4: As difficult as it is, do not care about the outcome. Do not come up to a Set which you think specialises in Banking Law but actually does more Clinical Negligence. If youve done a mini-pupillage at that chambers, that will help formulate a complimentary response. Hopefully there arent many chambers asking this sort of thing anymore. Others will have friends or family in chambers, or relatives in the judiciary. ), focuses on tips from juniors and more established practitioners. Have you been able to use what you learned yourself, whether in a moot or discussion with a university committee or something else? Although you are being interviewed, you are also interviewing. Where are the weak points? Use this as another opportunity to show your enthusiasm and to find out about the kind of work you might be involved in. Read the guidance notes which will indicate how to tackle it and present it. To give you another illustration, we always say "our problems are not a test of your legal knowledge". I call it the Constable Quotient. Tip 2:Research what barristers say about the set/their practice area. Identify them and work on them. If youre interviewing for a criminal pupillage, be prepared to answer, What are the biggest challenges facing the criminal Bar? Be opinionated without being obnoxious; political without being partisan. Specialist Pupillage. Prepare for this by thinking about how barristers you may have seen in mini-pupillages did this, and what you would change about that. In fact, the very best advice it has to offer in these situations is to be found on the cover. How to approach pupillage interviews. Are you reactive, defensive or dismissive? You will be competing against people who are able to articulate exactly why they want to do the particular work available at a given set so in order to be competitive on this question I think you need a well thought through answer, and not just a line from the website (which was probably written by chambers marketing manager five years ago anyway). If the Set interviewing you does not go for it, then they are not the right Set for you. What do you do, why and what approach do you take? Keep up to date with current affairs. A few nerves are good for your performance. At the end of the interview, you may be asked if you have any questions. Do the prep. There are a million variables that may influence your chances in any given interview. Chambers also look for evidence of certain personal values such as integrity and self-assurance. I think the best way to prepare for this kind of question is just to read the broadsheet papers and decide what your view is and why. This cookie is used to store the language preferences of a user to serve up content in that stored language the next time user visit the website. The well-advised will also have squeezed some pro bono legal advisory work into their non-existent free time. You need to know this answer off the top of your head, but practice making it sound spontaneous and sincere. 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. Your odds are slim, and unless you are particularly brilliant (and most of us arent), you are competing against hundreds of people of comparable ability, intellect and experience. One round of interviews, often the first, may be short and focused on a specific skill such as advocacy or may be focused on a set of questions that are being asked to every candidate. It sounds obvious, but nerves in interview upend the most poised performers in your advocacy classes. 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 cookie is installed by Google Analytics. This will help you to learn from your interview experience, so that next time, you have a greater chance at success. You have got to be curious. 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). The standard CV drill, so know your CV well and describe your experiences. Think of something non-legal (to demonstrate your glorious diversity) on which you have personal experience or strongly-held views, and have it wrapped up and ready to fire in the event it is called upon. The Application Process | 3VB (Life at the Bar is much the same.) But what are they and which one to choose? If not, scour the chambers website for self-congratulatory guff about ethos and values and try to pass those off as your own. The cookie is set by embedded Microsoft scripts. Therefore, to that extent at least, you control the narrative of your interview. To do this, I would suggest two things. Ask for feedback from unsuccessful interviews, and use anything . Barristers in chambers often work as a collective to solve problems. While considering other careers is not a problem, you should answer by demonstrating that you have considered other careers that involve some aspect of the law or require skills that are transferable to the legal profession. Make sure you are not going to be making a misstep by suggesting that they do work that they do not do. 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. Its important to clearly explain why you have chosen a specific law to change and draw on oral and written advocacy skills to argue your reason for changing that law. . See our top tips on commercial pupillage . The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. we gear our entire lives around trying to secure one. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Read publications and websites such as. You would need to answer this question honestly and remain true to your convictions. The old website might have been somewhat mundane but Christ, the old saying the devil you know springs . Read the newspapers. This is usually shown through your academic achievements and publications. . 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. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. This is a question that genuinely seeks to discover how a chambers can best help you develop if there is an aspect of pupillage you could find difficult. If you answer why you want to be a barrister without mentioning advocacy, imo it raises a red flag. 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. Chambers are only able to interview a small minority of applicants. You will need to demonstrate that you can answer without using jargon to ensure that you are fully understood. This way, you can give feedback that is specific, relevant, and concise. Id only add that for most applicants its intimidating being interviewed by barristers. For example, my husband gave me a mock silk interview the day before my real interview. The ANONCHK cookie, set by Bing, is used to store a user's session ID and also verify the clicks from ads on the Bing search engine. Thu 30 May 2013 04.00 EDT. This website is witty, it is erudite, it is hard-hitting, it is focused and it is awesome.. Weve had a number of applicants who attempted to spout stuff from our website back from us when we asked the why us? question, and I strongly disagree that this is a good idea. 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. When you spend countless hours writing and reviewing applications, preparing for interviews, and then waiting anxiously to hear back from chambers, I feel that providing feedback to candidates that are unsuccessful at interview (particularly a second-round interview), should be a minimum requirement. Don't be too arrogant "when I get pupillage here I will". Pupillage | Doughty Street Chambers The Pupillage Gateway has closed. Theyre trying their best to enable you to shine its in their interests for everyone to be on best form, right? Buff up your strong points. Make sure you've researched the chambers thoroughly. For more detailed information about the cookies we use, see our. Tip 1: If you get through the pupillage application stage and you are now preparing for a pupillage interview, well done. Temperament/personality: the ability to remain calm, objective and confident while working under pressure with complex or unfamiliar material. Just engage with the questions you are being asked. It does not store any personal data. Give yourself a pat on the back because it means you are doing something right. The format of the exercise will differ from chamber to chamber, but will likely require you to demonstrate: Advocacy and presentation skills. Practically everyone answering this question mentions intellectual challenge, advocacy and the advantages of being self-employed. Zaid Ibrahim & Co Pupillage Interview Questions | Glassdoor 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. Interested in a future career as a lawyer? However, as long as you prepare properly for a pupillage interview, there's always a chance that you're the lucky applicant. Everyone has bad days. Make sure you are up to date with current affairs. Listening to music. The Bar is not the be-all and end-all. Dont be. If you get offered pupillage, you can start making enquiries, I think its a bit pointless otherwise. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Here are ten examples of interview feedback that you can use in interviews in different situations: When the candidate in . Advocacy Panel: it is known as the advocacy panel because this set will favour peppering you with an advocacy . Now, just to give you some background about how this particular article came about - last month, I collaborated with six juniors at the Bar. With a twitter and LinkedIn profile, you can see what people are doing in their professional and personal life. Read and reread your application form.
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