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In chambers’ quest to find the best, what exactly are they looking for and how do they find it? Three chambers – across commercial, family and public law – share their insights
Here are the factors of magnetic importance when it comes to choosing our future pupils.
Brains: We want the brightest of the next generation of barristers. We know many of the sharpest legal minds were not honed between the ages of 18 and 22 at just one or two universities. We welcome applicants of all ages, diversities, backgrounds, physical abilities and educational origins. We actively participate in schemes to broaden the reach of not just Chambers but the Bar as a whole (full details would be an article in its own right). Nonetheless, we still expect the intellectual best. We are looking for academic high achievers and we don’t interview people with lower than a 2:1 unless there are genuinely extenuating circumstances.
No one ends up practising in every area: but we do expect our pupils to be adventurous and open to new experiences. They will rotate through seats in public & administrative law, personal injury & clinical negligence, environment & planning, and commercial & construction: four distinct seats ensuring a wide and deep engagement with our core practice areas. We encourage pupils to look beyond their preconceptions about practice and many of our best specialist practitioners entered chambers with entirely different expectations of how their careers would develop or of what fields they would most enjoy. Pupillage at 39 provides an opportunity to try professional practice on for size before finally committing to a specific subject area and understand in real ways the difference between academic study and the practice of law.
Courage: Unlike many of our direct competitors, our pupils are on their feet in their second six. We don’t think you develop the best advocacy skills by watching others. We want our pupils to be comfortable at the front row of the court, not just the back. In the first six we run internal advocacy training to ensure they are ready. We expect our pupils to be capable of arguing a last-minute injunction with little notice, of cross-examining a hostile neighbour, and of negotiating settlements with anxious clients looking on. The majority of time during pupils’ second six is still spent learning and working on supervised cases, and there are also numerous opportunities to be led in early practice. We think our pupils value the independence of going out to court on their own. We want our pupils to be open to the challenges of different areas of law.
Compassion: A large amount of chambers’ work is focused on the difficult realities of people’s lives, whether unpicking a contract, seeking damages through personal injury awards, making decisions about medical treatment in the Court of Protection, prosecuting or defending in the regulatory tribunals, piecing together devastating past events in public inquiries, helping a client fight against the loss of a family business or acting in cases concerning human rights violations. We expect our pupils – and our tenants – to be compassionate. Our members fight hard for their clients and will always aim to win, but we expect them to act with compassion and courtesy towards clients and opponents. Emotional as well as intellectual intelligence is key.
Resilience: Being a barrister is hard work, physically, intellectually and emotionally. We pride ourselves on being a warm and open workplace which understands the importance of friendship and fun as well as supporting wellbeing: we provide support and mentoring for our pupils; mentoring and career development for our junior tenants. We continue to support one another throughout our careers. We run a comprehensive training programme through pupillage that sits alongside the main supervision tasks looking at all aspects of building a strong and resilient practice while learning how to be a strong and resilient barrister. Regular feedback and formal assessments throughout the year mean we check in on progress, develop our pupils as they learn and grow. Issues are picked up early before they become problems. Good practice is reinforced. We actively check in on the mental health and wellbeing of our people.
As a set offering specialist family law pupillages, we are looking for those who will grow into high-quality family lawyers. For that we look for a variety of general and family-specific skills.
Prospective pupils fill in an application form which aims to take in their academic history, professional experience, understanding of the Family Bar and, through an essay question (which is often on a non-family topic), their ability to consider and articulate written arguments. Each application form is double ‘blind marked’, which is to say, marked by two members of chambers of differing seniority, with all identifying features from the form removed. In the event of disagreement, it will be blind marked by a third marker. The application forms are subject to objective marking criteria. They are: academic achievement; intellectual aptitude; work experience (more specifically, the application of that to the Bar); mini-pupillages (more specifically, what a candidate took from them); reasons for applying to Coram; the essay and overall presentation. There are additional marks available for extenuating/exceptional circumstances. We have also a policy whereby, if the additional marks do not do justice to the applicant, an applicant can be put automatically through to first-round interview.
Our first-round interview tends to be short, lasting approximately 15 minutes. There will be three or four members of chambers on the panel. Every interview starts with an unassessed ‘ice breaker’ question to settle the interviewee into the process. For spring 2022, the first-round interview contained three assessed questions (each attracting follow-ups) on law/analysis, diversity and ethics. We like to see candidates who can think, consider difficult or nuanced issues, and then present their views or arguments in a considered, thoughtful, persuasive fashion. We are trying to unearth not just who will be a good lawyer, but who will be a good family lawyer. In that sense, beyond raw brain power we want to see empathy, an appreciation of the challenges that those from different backgrounds face, and the capacity to build inter-personal relationships with all sorts of people. Roughly 13 candidates are invited to attend the first-round interview, of whom seven or so will be invited to the longer second round.
The second-round interview is even more demanding than the first. It lasts in the region of half an hour, with up to five members of chambers sitting on the panel. After the ‘ice breaker’ there are assessed questions: for spring 2022, we asked four of those, covering diversity, a general question about the profession and two on a clip of materials that we give the candidates 30 minutes in advance. Those materials tend to include an excerpt from a dense legal text, which we will ask the candidates to analyse and discuss, and a selection of propositions or scenarios that we will ask interviewees to argue. We are looking for consistency of performance across the written application and two interviews. The best candidates to whom we offer pupillage are able to excel both on the traditional legal skills and the ‘softer’ skills that are required at the Family Bar.
We place great emphasis on fair recruitment and opening up our application process to those from non-traditional backgrounds. It is not the finished article that we want, and nor do we require a wealth of family-law-related experience. The purpose of our application process is to find those whom, with guidance, support and experience, can grow into the shining stars of the Family Bar, representing diverse clients in respect of the many legal problems that can arise on the breakdown of families and relationships.
We generally recruit two 12-month pupils per year and apply five criteria – intellectual ability, oral communication and advocacy skills, temperament and commitment, interpersonal skills and motivation for a career at the Bar – throughout all stages of our annual recruitment process. This consists of the initial paper sift, then the first interview stage and a day of final interviews.
Our 12-month pupils tend to be taken on as tenants, and members only very rarely leave chambers. As such, we are looking for meritorious individuals from all backgrounds who, as well as satisfying Chambers' five criteria, are genuinely interesting, decent and warm people, not least because it is likely we will share many decades of our working lives with them in chambers if they receive an offer of pupillage from us.
We present the same legal problem to all of our final interviewees, and provide a set period of time immediately before each final interview for our applicants to consider this problem. The legal problem changes each year. What does not change is the variety of differing responses we receive year on year from our applicants to our legal problems: some tend to stick to the answer they believe to be correct, irrespective of the counter-arguments that our interview panel will inevitably put to them; others can struggle to advance both sides of an argument. We value flexibility and intellectual self-confidence in our applicants. If the legal scenario changes – as it so often does when we are on our feet in court – applicants should be prepared to change their position with it. We also value a willingness to admit to being wrong: it takes real courage to abandon an argument that one has advanced in a final interview situation, but sometimes that is precisely what a developing legal discussion requires.
We care deeply about equality of opportunity at the Bar, and are far more interested in what our applicants know than who they know. To this end, socio-economically disadvantaged applicants are encouraged to apply for our assessed Equality and Diversity Mini-Pupillage Scheme, the details of which are available on our website. Successful E&D mini-pupils are automatically advanced through the paper sift and guaranteed a first-round interview when they then apply for pupillage with us.
Paper applications that are interesting, well written and indicate that an applicant has real-life experience in areas other than just the law are more likely to result in a first interview with us. Our best interview candidates demonstrate an ability to think on their feet, provide balanced arguments that encompass all of the nuance and complexity of a given legal problem, and, when necessary, are able to change their position.
Applicants who can top all that off with a bit of charm under pressure are likely to enjoy a successful career at the Bar, hopefully with us!
Nicola Kohn of 39 Essex Chambers has a broad practice spanning public and human rights law and Court of Protection work. She also practises in general common law and regulatory and disciplinary law. Prior to coming to the Bar, Nicola spent 11 years as a political news journalist at the BBC.
Alexander Laing of Coram Chambers specialises in children and finance law, particularly with an international element. Alex is the 2025 Family Law Awards and Legal 500 Junior Barrister of the Year. He has won the Family Law Awards Junior Barrister of the Year three times, no other counsel has won it more than once. Before that, he was the only member of the Bar twice to win the Family Law Awards: Young Barrister of the Year.
Iain O'Donnell is Head of Pupillage Recruitment at 1 Crown Office Row. He has a common law and specialist criminal practice that encompasses child abuse compensation law, clinical negligence, general high-value personal injury, animal welfare, animal and medical related crime, sports law and public inquiries.
Here are the factors of magnetic importance when it comes to choosing our future pupils.
Brains: We want the brightest of the next generation of barristers. We know many of the sharpest legal minds were not honed between the ages of 18 and 22 at just one or two universities. We welcome applicants of all ages, diversities, backgrounds, physical abilities and educational origins. We actively participate in schemes to broaden the reach of not just Chambers but the Bar as a whole (full details would be an article in its own right). Nonetheless, we still expect the intellectual best. We are looking for academic high achievers and we don’t interview people with lower than a 2:1 unless there are genuinely extenuating circumstances.
No one ends up practising in every area: but we do expect our pupils to be adventurous and open to new experiences. They will rotate through seats in public & administrative law, personal injury & clinical negligence, environment & planning, and commercial & construction: four distinct seats ensuring a wide and deep engagement with our core practice areas. We encourage pupils to look beyond their preconceptions about practice and many of our best specialist practitioners entered chambers with entirely different expectations of how their careers would develop or of what fields they would most enjoy. Pupillage at 39 provides an opportunity to try professional practice on for size before finally committing to a specific subject area and understand in real ways the difference between academic study and the practice of law.
Courage: Unlike many of our direct competitors, our pupils are on their feet in their second six. We don’t think you develop the best advocacy skills by watching others. We want our pupils to be comfortable at the front row of the court, not just the back. In the first six we run internal advocacy training to ensure they are ready. We expect our pupils to be capable of arguing a last-minute injunction with little notice, of cross-examining a hostile neighbour, and of negotiating settlements with anxious clients looking on. The majority of time during pupils’ second six is still spent learning and working on supervised cases, and there are also numerous opportunities to be led in early practice. We think our pupils value the independence of going out to court on their own. We want our pupils to be open to the challenges of different areas of law.
Compassion: A large amount of chambers’ work is focused on the difficult realities of people’s lives, whether unpicking a contract, seeking damages through personal injury awards, making decisions about medical treatment in the Court of Protection, prosecuting or defending in the regulatory tribunals, piecing together devastating past events in public inquiries, helping a client fight against the loss of a family business or acting in cases concerning human rights violations. We expect our pupils – and our tenants – to be compassionate. Our members fight hard for their clients and will always aim to win, but we expect them to act with compassion and courtesy towards clients and opponents. Emotional as well as intellectual intelligence is key.
Resilience: Being a barrister is hard work, physically, intellectually and emotionally. We pride ourselves on being a warm and open workplace which understands the importance of friendship and fun as well as supporting wellbeing: we provide support and mentoring for our pupils; mentoring and career development for our junior tenants. We continue to support one another throughout our careers. We run a comprehensive training programme through pupillage that sits alongside the main supervision tasks looking at all aspects of building a strong and resilient practice while learning how to be a strong and resilient barrister. Regular feedback and formal assessments throughout the year mean we check in on progress, develop our pupils as they learn and grow. Issues are picked up early before they become problems. Good practice is reinforced. We actively check in on the mental health and wellbeing of our people.
As a set offering specialist family law pupillages, we are looking for those who will grow into high-quality family lawyers. For that we look for a variety of general and family-specific skills.
Prospective pupils fill in an application form which aims to take in their academic history, professional experience, understanding of the Family Bar and, through an essay question (which is often on a non-family topic), their ability to consider and articulate written arguments. Each application form is double ‘blind marked’, which is to say, marked by two members of chambers of differing seniority, with all identifying features from the form removed. In the event of disagreement, it will be blind marked by a third marker. The application forms are subject to objective marking criteria. They are: academic achievement; intellectual aptitude; work experience (more specifically, the application of that to the Bar); mini-pupillages (more specifically, what a candidate took from them); reasons for applying to Coram; the essay and overall presentation. There are additional marks available for extenuating/exceptional circumstances. We have also a policy whereby, if the additional marks do not do justice to the applicant, an applicant can be put automatically through to first-round interview.
Our first-round interview tends to be short, lasting approximately 15 minutes. There will be three or four members of chambers on the panel. Every interview starts with an unassessed ‘ice breaker’ question to settle the interviewee into the process. For spring 2022, the first-round interview contained three assessed questions (each attracting follow-ups) on law/analysis, diversity and ethics. We like to see candidates who can think, consider difficult or nuanced issues, and then present their views or arguments in a considered, thoughtful, persuasive fashion. We are trying to unearth not just who will be a good lawyer, but who will be a good family lawyer. In that sense, beyond raw brain power we want to see empathy, an appreciation of the challenges that those from different backgrounds face, and the capacity to build inter-personal relationships with all sorts of people. Roughly 13 candidates are invited to attend the first-round interview, of whom seven or so will be invited to the longer second round.
The second-round interview is even more demanding than the first. It lasts in the region of half an hour, with up to five members of chambers sitting on the panel. After the ‘ice breaker’ there are assessed questions: for spring 2022, we asked four of those, covering diversity, a general question about the profession and two on a clip of materials that we give the candidates 30 minutes in advance. Those materials tend to include an excerpt from a dense legal text, which we will ask the candidates to analyse and discuss, and a selection of propositions or scenarios that we will ask interviewees to argue. We are looking for consistency of performance across the written application and two interviews. The best candidates to whom we offer pupillage are able to excel both on the traditional legal skills and the ‘softer’ skills that are required at the Family Bar.
We place great emphasis on fair recruitment and opening up our application process to those from non-traditional backgrounds. It is not the finished article that we want, and nor do we require a wealth of family-law-related experience. The purpose of our application process is to find those whom, with guidance, support and experience, can grow into the shining stars of the Family Bar, representing diverse clients in respect of the many legal problems that can arise on the breakdown of families and relationships.
We generally recruit two 12-month pupils per year and apply five criteria – intellectual ability, oral communication and advocacy skills, temperament and commitment, interpersonal skills and motivation for a career at the Bar – throughout all stages of our annual recruitment process. This consists of the initial paper sift, then the first interview stage and a day of final interviews.
Our 12-month pupils tend to be taken on as tenants, and members only very rarely leave chambers. As such, we are looking for meritorious individuals from all backgrounds who, as well as satisfying Chambers' five criteria, are genuinely interesting, decent and warm people, not least because it is likely we will share many decades of our working lives with them in chambers if they receive an offer of pupillage from us.
We present the same legal problem to all of our final interviewees, and provide a set period of time immediately before each final interview for our applicants to consider this problem. The legal problem changes each year. What does not change is the variety of differing responses we receive year on year from our applicants to our legal problems: some tend to stick to the answer they believe to be correct, irrespective of the counter-arguments that our interview panel will inevitably put to them; others can struggle to advance both sides of an argument. We value flexibility and intellectual self-confidence in our applicants. If the legal scenario changes – as it so often does when we are on our feet in court – applicants should be prepared to change their position with it. We also value a willingness to admit to being wrong: it takes real courage to abandon an argument that one has advanced in a final interview situation, but sometimes that is precisely what a developing legal discussion requires.
We care deeply about equality of opportunity at the Bar, and are far more interested in what our applicants know than who they know. To this end, socio-economically disadvantaged applicants are encouraged to apply for our assessed Equality and Diversity Mini-Pupillage Scheme, the details of which are available on our website. Successful E&D mini-pupils are automatically advanced through the paper sift and guaranteed a first-round interview when they then apply for pupillage with us.
Paper applications that are interesting, well written and indicate that an applicant has real-life experience in areas other than just the law are more likely to result in a first interview with us. Our best interview candidates demonstrate an ability to think on their feet, provide balanced arguments that encompass all of the nuance and complexity of a given legal problem, and, when necessary, are able to change their position.
Applicants who can top all that off with a bit of charm under pressure are likely to enjoy a successful career at the Bar, hopefully with us!
In chambers’ quest to find the best, what exactly are they looking for and how do they find it? Three chambers – across commercial, family and public law – share their insights
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