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Tap into every source of support, urge Lachlan Stewart and Amelia Clegg, Chair and Vice Chair of the Bar Council’s Young Barristers’ Committee
When sitting down to consider what I might write for this article on pupil wellbeing, I thought back to two pieces I wrote for Counsel magazine when I was starting out at the Bar. One discussed the effects of the pandemic on pupillage and the other reflected on the whole year.
What holds true? And what has changed in the past five years?
Well, a pandemic pupillage was certainly bad for wellbeing and hopefully we won’t have another one of those. However, I do feel that COVID-19 has had a lasting impact on the profession. A key part of this is the reduced amount of time spent in chambers and at court. When I started pupillage, you were required to be in chambers during working hours. That requirement has faded in most sets. There are great advantages to more flexible working, particularly for wellbeing, as time saved on commuting allows for a better work-life balance. Yet I would encourage all pupils to be at court or in chambers as much as you can.
Pupillage is a stressful time, partly because it encompasses so many new things. The sooner you get comfortable being at court and in chambers the better. Similarly, attend as many chambers and wider events as you feel able. You will meet more people and start to feel part of the Bar and part of your chambers.
Connected to this is the importance of building good relationships with your co-pupils and very junior tenants. They will be your immediate support network. These relationships are harder to develop when working from home. A debrief at the end of a long day with your co-pupil is a vital way to blow off a bit of steam and can help put things into perspective. It is also the best time to ask what may feel like the more mundane or silly questions.
Your next support network is often your pupil supervisor and more senior members of chambers. They will say: ‘Phone me if you need any advice or help.’ These are not idle words. The Bar operates on a collegiate system of goodwill – most people want to help you and see you do well. We would much rather get a phone call at 10pm than you stay silent and hear you have become overwhelmed or a case went a bit wrong.
That being said, the sooner you ask for help the better, i.e. it is easier to help if the phone call is at 4pm rather than 10pm! If you are at court on your feet, don’t be afraid to ask questions of more senior practitioners who are in your court or the robing room – they will work out that you are a pupil and most will want to help.
To those who are looking to support pupils, do keep in mind that you may not be having as much interaction with pupils as you did previously, due to these new ways of working. You are still just as important to their development and wellbeing. Please take the chance when you can to make clear to the pupils that you are there to offer your help and support.
Finally, try not to put too much pressure on yourself in second six. Of course, you want to do your best and impress but the reality is that most days at court will simply just be fine. They will not be great victories, nor will they be great defeats. This is normal and if a day feels like it has just gone ‘fine’ in second six then that is probably a good sign!
I completed my pupillage in September 2018 at a well-regarded London criminal chambers and was offered (and took) tenancy. It is generally accepted that criminal law pupillages are particularly physically demanding as (i) you are on your feet in court every day (or almost every day) and (ii) you travel to lots of different courts. I remember being told to invest in a strong wheelie bag to help me carry around my wig and gown and that was great advice!
Aside from the physical demands of a busy court practice, pupillage is inherently a mentally and emotionally taxing experience. Unless you are fortunate enough to have your tenancy decision before the end of the 12 months, the pressure to continue to impress members of chambers, judges, your solicitors and your lay clients for a whole year can feel overwhelming at times.
I found my pupil supervisors and many members of my chambers to be invaluable and vital sources of support. They were always on hand to talk through legal/ethical questions but more importantly, they gave me the confidence to answer those questions myself and to trust my own judgement.
The nature of the law is that decisions are always subject to scrutiny, from decisions you make during a case right up to decisions made by the Court of Appeal. One of the biggest lessons I learnt during my pupillage is not to fear being questioned about the reasons for my decisions, but to see that as part of the development of the common law, and that no single lawyer is more important than our collective desire to ensure that the law delivers justice, even if that means we have to revisit decisions.
Fortitude and resilience are invaluable skills for life as a barrister (whether at the self-employed or the employed Bar), as is a robust sense of humour. However, even the most resilient person can find that their stores of energy are depleted. It may seem obvious, but in my experience, when you feel stressed, your more basic needs are the first to be sacrificed, and this is when your wellbeing starts to suffer. My advice is to make sure that you eat regularly and sensibly, get enough sleep, make time to shower, see your friends and family, and try your best to continue with your hobbies where you can.
As a member of the Bar Choral Society, I find that attending a weekly choir rehearsal relaxes me and forces me to put my work aside for 90 minutes to concentrate on breathing and listening (two things I don’t do very well when I get stressed). Whether it is music, art, crafts, sports, cooking, drama, writing or dancing, don’t abandon the parts of your life which make you happy and relaxed.
‘Pupillage: a view during COVID-19’, Lachlan Stewart, Counsel, June 2020.
‘A year in the life of a pupil’, Lachlan Stewart, Counsel, September 2020.
The Bar Council’s Pupil Helpline gives confidential advice and support to members of the Bar who are currently undertaking their pupillage. Call 020 7611 1415 or email PupilHelpline@BarCouncil.org.uk. See also ‘The Bar Council Pupil Helpline’, Rose Malleson, Counsel, September 2022.
Access support and resources tailored for pupils and students at the Bar Council’s Wellbeing at the Bar portal.
Lachlan Stewart is Chair of the Bar Council’s Young Barristers’ Committee. He is a criminal barrister at No5 Chambers based in Birmingham and he was called to the Bar in 2019.
Amelia Clegg is Vice Chair of the Bar Council’s Young Barristers’ Committee. With experience as a self-employed and employed barrister, and being dual-qualified at the English and Welsh Bar (2017 call) and as a New York attorney, Amelia has had a varied legal career.
When sitting down to consider what I might write for this article on pupil wellbeing, I thought back to two pieces I wrote for Counsel magazine when I was starting out at the Bar. One discussed the effects of the pandemic on pupillage and the other reflected on the whole year.
What holds true? And what has changed in the past five years?
Well, a pandemic pupillage was certainly bad for wellbeing and hopefully we won’t have another one of those. However, I do feel that COVID-19 has had a lasting impact on the profession. A key part of this is the reduced amount of time spent in chambers and at court. When I started pupillage, you were required to be in chambers during working hours. That requirement has faded in most sets. There are great advantages to more flexible working, particularly for wellbeing, as time saved on commuting allows for a better work-life balance. Yet I would encourage all pupils to be at court or in chambers as much as you can.
Pupillage is a stressful time, partly because it encompasses so many new things. The sooner you get comfortable being at court and in chambers the better. Similarly, attend as many chambers and wider events as you feel able. You will meet more people and start to feel part of the Bar and part of your chambers.
Connected to this is the importance of building good relationships with your co-pupils and very junior tenants. They will be your immediate support network. These relationships are harder to develop when working from home. A debrief at the end of a long day with your co-pupil is a vital way to blow off a bit of steam and can help put things into perspective. It is also the best time to ask what may feel like the more mundane or silly questions.
Your next support network is often your pupil supervisor and more senior members of chambers. They will say: ‘Phone me if you need any advice or help.’ These are not idle words. The Bar operates on a collegiate system of goodwill – most people want to help you and see you do well. We would much rather get a phone call at 10pm than you stay silent and hear you have become overwhelmed or a case went a bit wrong.
That being said, the sooner you ask for help the better, i.e. it is easier to help if the phone call is at 4pm rather than 10pm! If you are at court on your feet, don’t be afraid to ask questions of more senior practitioners who are in your court or the robing room – they will work out that you are a pupil and most will want to help.
To those who are looking to support pupils, do keep in mind that you may not be having as much interaction with pupils as you did previously, due to these new ways of working. You are still just as important to their development and wellbeing. Please take the chance when you can to make clear to the pupils that you are there to offer your help and support.
Finally, try not to put too much pressure on yourself in second six. Of course, you want to do your best and impress but the reality is that most days at court will simply just be fine. They will not be great victories, nor will they be great defeats. This is normal and if a day feels like it has just gone ‘fine’ in second six then that is probably a good sign!
I completed my pupillage in September 2018 at a well-regarded London criminal chambers and was offered (and took) tenancy. It is generally accepted that criminal law pupillages are particularly physically demanding as (i) you are on your feet in court every day (or almost every day) and (ii) you travel to lots of different courts. I remember being told to invest in a strong wheelie bag to help me carry around my wig and gown and that was great advice!
Aside from the physical demands of a busy court practice, pupillage is inherently a mentally and emotionally taxing experience. Unless you are fortunate enough to have your tenancy decision before the end of the 12 months, the pressure to continue to impress members of chambers, judges, your solicitors and your lay clients for a whole year can feel overwhelming at times.
I found my pupil supervisors and many members of my chambers to be invaluable and vital sources of support. They were always on hand to talk through legal/ethical questions but more importantly, they gave me the confidence to answer those questions myself and to trust my own judgement.
The nature of the law is that decisions are always subject to scrutiny, from decisions you make during a case right up to decisions made by the Court of Appeal. One of the biggest lessons I learnt during my pupillage is not to fear being questioned about the reasons for my decisions, but to see that as part of the development of the common law, and that no single lawyer is more important than our collective desire to ensure that the law delivers justice, even if that means we have to revisit decisions.
Fortitude and resilience are invaluable skills for life as a barrister (whether at the self-employed or the employed Bar), as is a robust sense of humour. However, even the most resilient person can find that their stores of energy are depleted. It may seem obvious, but in my experience, when you feel stressed, your more basic needs are the first to be sacrificed, and this is when your wellbeing starts to suffer. My advice is to make sure that you eat regularly and sensibly, get enough sleep, make time to shower, see your friends and family, and try your best to continue with your hobbies where you can.
As a member of the Bar Choral Society, I find that attending a weekly choir rehearsal relaxes me and forces me to put my work aside for 90 minutes to concentrate on breathing and listening (two things I don’t do very well when I get stressed). Whether it is music, art, crafts, sports, cooking, drama, writing or dancing, don’t abandon the parts of your life which make you happy and relaxed.
‘Pupillage: a view during COVID-19’, Lachlan Stewart, Counsel, June 2020.
‘A year in the life of a pupil’, Lachlan Stewart, Counsel, September 2020.
The Bar Council’s Pupil Helpline gives confidential advice and support to members of the Bar who are currently undertaking their pupillage. Call 020 7611 1415 or email PupilHelpline@BarCouncil.org.uk. See also ‘The Bar Council Pupil Helpline’, Rose Malleson, Counsel, September 2022.
Access support and resources tailored for pupils and students at the Bar Council’s Wellbeing at the Bar portal.
Tap into every source of support, urge Lachlan Stewart and Amelia Clegg, Chair and Vice Chair of the Bar Council’s Young Barristers’ Committee
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