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Becoming a barrister and securing pupillage is no mean feat. The Bar Council – the body which leads, represents and supports almost 18,000 barristers in England and Wales – released its Pupillage Gateway report earlier this year. Based on our Pupillage Gateway system used by Authorised Education and Training Providers (AETOs) to advertise pupillage opportunities, the report’s findings are useful in helping answer common questions on becoming a pupil barrister.
There’s no denying that applying for pupillage is a competitive process. The good news is the number of positions available is increasing. The number of pupillages advertised on our Gateway hit a new record of 680 this year – an increase of more than 200 since 2019/20.
The biggest indicator of success is degree classification. A little over 60% of offers went to those with a First and more than a third to those with a 2:1. However, what you study is less important. The report also found that if you did not study law at an undergraduate level, you are not disadvantaged.
Scholarship awards are another key indicator of success – 53% of the 288 offers recorded last year were received by candidates who had secured a scholarship from one of the Inns of Court, compared to 38% of those who did not.
Most successful candidates had undertaken one or more mini-pupillages. Just under 13% of candidates who had attended at least one mini-pupillage received an offer compared with 1.7% of candidates who did not.
You can also gain experience in other ways that will be useful when applying for pupillage such as by volunteering with charities like Advocate and the Free Representation Unit. It’s also important to remember that you can use almost any previous experience to your advantage when applying for pupillage, by considering how you can draw out key skills and apply them to the Bar.
The Bar Council runs several schemes and events to help students gain insight into life at the Bar including the Bar Placement Scheme, 10,000 Black Interns, and the Pupillage Fair. At our annual Pupillage Fair, you can meet chambers and employers, hear talks about life as a barrister, discuss your CV with an expert at the 1-2-1 clinic and much more. The Inns, Specialist Bar Associations and Circuits also run schemes as well as organisations like Bridging the Bar.
Dealing with rejection is never easy but our research shows that resilience does pay off as the likelihood of success increases each additional year of application. Analysis of the 2022 cohort shows that 1 in 10 receive an offer on their first attempt. But for those applying for a fourth time, the likelihood increased to 1 in 6.
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Becoming a barrister and securing pupillage is no mean feat. The Bar Council – the body which leads, represents and supports almost 18,000 barristers in England and Wales – released its Pupillage Gateway report earlier this year. Based on our Pupillage Gateway system used by Authorised Education and Training Providers (AETOs) to advertise pupillage opportunities, the report’s findings are useful in helping answer common questions on becoming a pupil barrister.
There’s no denying that applying for pupillage is a competitive process. The good news is the number of positions available is increasing. The number of pupillages advertised on our Gateway hit a new record of 680 this year – an increase of more than 200 since 2019/20.
The biggest indicator of success is degree classification. A little over 60% of offers went to those with a First and more than a third to those with a 2:1. However, what you study is less important. The report also found that if you did not study law at an undergraduate level, you are not disadvantaged.
Scholarship awards are another key indicator of success – 53% of the 288 offers recorded last year were received by candidates who had secured a scholarship from one of the Inns of Court, compared to 38% of those who did not.
Most successful candidates had undertaken one or more mini-pupillages. Just under 13% of candidates who had attended at least one mini-pupillage received an offer compared with 1.7% of candidates who did not.
You can also gain experience in other ways that will be useful when applying for pupillage such as by volunteering with charities like Advocate and the Free Representation Unit. It’s also important to remember that you can use almost any previous experience to your advantage when applying for pupillage, by considering how you can draw out key skills and apply them to the Bar.
The Bar Council runs several schemes and events to help students gain insight into life at the Bar including the Bar Placement Scheme, 10,000 Black Interns, and the Pupillage Fair. At our annual Pupillage Fair, you can meet chambers and employers, hear talks about life as a barrister, discuss your CV with an expert at the 1-2-1 clinic and much more. The Inns, Specialist Bar Associations and Circuits also run schemes as well as organisations like Bridging the Bar.
Dealing with rejection is never easy but our research shows that resilience does pay off as the likelihood of success increases each additional year of application. Analysis of the 2022 cohort shows that 1 in 10 receive an offer on their first attempt. But for those applying for a fourth time, the likelihood increased to 1 in 6.
The Chair of the Bar reports back
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, explains how global events can influence the performance of pensions and ISAs, and why taking a long-term approach to investing is often the most effective strategy
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, discusses what family law professionals need to know about hallucinogens, from the main hallucinogenic drugs encountered in family proceedings, to their effects and the testing options available
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Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, examines the forensic science underpinning hair drug testing, its evidential scope and limitations, and why it remains the gold standard for evidencing patterns of drug use in family proceedings
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At the start of her term, Chair of the Bar 2026 Kirsty Brimelow KC set out a series of priorities for the year ahead. One of those priorities was children in the justice system
As the world becomes more digital, Barbara Vinagre Mota examines international research into the mental health consequences of judges’ exposure to graphic and immersive evidence, highlighting the importance of support systems
Reviewed by Daniel Barnett
James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain until 27 September Rothko in Florence at Palazzo Strozzi until 23 August Reviewed by Stephen Cragg KC
