The qualities and attributes chambers look for in candidates for a criminal pupillage are different from those sought in other practice areas. We who are responsible for selecting pupils know that being a criminal barrister is challenging and we look for people with the intellectual rigor, practical skills and personal attributes we think will help them not just succeed but thrive in this particular area of law.

Critical and creative thinking, well-developed analytical skills, a logical mind, attention to detail, effective advocacy and integrity are attributes one would expect of a pupil in any practice area. But criminal sets are looking for the way in which a candidate has tailored those skills to fit criminal practice. If you are able to do that, not only will you demonstrate your commitment to this fascinating area of law, but also your understanding of it.

In preparation for the drafting of your application form, I recommend speaking to as many criminal practitioners as possible about their day-to-day experience of the job. Many barristers make themselves available to prospective pupils at pupillage fairs, during mini-pupillages, through mentoring schemes and through the Inns. Each will have their own experiences and tips; the more you can harvest the better.

Practising as a criminal barrister will involve early mornings, juggling multiple commitments during the day, having to cancel or postpone personal plans and finding ways of keeping yourself motivated to work during the evening. It will also involve having to deal with stressful conferences with lay clients and the emotions of serious criminal cases. Most sets will want to know what experiences you have that equip you for that sort of life so if you can address that in your application form, you will be one step ahead and increase your chances of being offered an interview.

My top tips for drafting your application are to be concise and to give relevant examples. Written communication is a significant part of the job and if you can put across what you want to say in a punchy and clear way, your application itself will be a demonstration of that particular skill. A bare assertion that you possess a particular skill is unlikely to be convincing. Providing a short example that illustrates the point goes a long way and makes for a more interesting read. Give an example that illustrates how that skill is tailored to criminal practice.

Your first years of practice will involve receiving papers the night before a hearing or, in some cases, 30 minutes before meeting your lay client. Tell your assessor what it is that you have done that makes you ready to take on that sort of challenge. Do not stop at asserting that you can consider a large volume of material, extract the legal issues and identify the weaknesses in the case; explain, with an example, how you can do those things within a limited time. Rather than simply providing a list of your experiences of advocacy, try to include an example or two which you think most closely resembles the sort of adversarial advocacy you will be conducting in criminal courts.

The examples you give do not have to come from your encounters with criminal practice – there are plenty of skills that can be acquired elsewhere and honed once you start pupillage. What we are looking for are candidates who have given thought to what being a criminal barrister is all about and who have put the time into drafting an application that convinces us that they have committed time and effort to readying themselves for a criminal pupillage.