Becoming a barrister is a very competitive option. There are approximately 1,500 BVC places and around 750 pupillages on offer annually, so you begin to see the nature of the challenge. This brief article should help you through the application and selection process, and offer some practical advice to help you to deal effectively with the process. Before you apply...Before you even apply for pupillage you should have already done a lot of preparatory groundwork. You should have undertaken a number of mini-pupillages as part of the fact-finding and decision making process behind committing yourself to a career at the Bar. Work experience gives you knowledge, insight, contacts and credibility when you come to apply. You should also have joined an Inn. Joining an InnAll barristers are members of one of the four Inns of Court. You should join an Inn as soon as possible (probably in your second year, but certainly before you start the BVC) as this is a requirement for registration on the BVC. You are also required to undertake 12 qualifying units consisting of various social and educational activities within an Inn before you can be called to the Bar. The Inns are an important source of financial support to intending barristers through bursaries for vocational training. You can only apply for funding from the Inn of which you are a member, so make sure you join well before the application deadlines. Applying for pupillageSome sets of chambers may now be looking for pupil barristers as most of the large solicitors' firms do, although it is probably still more usual to apply in the year before you start the BVC. All pupillage vacancies are now advertised on the OLPAS website (On-Line Pupillage Application System www.olpas.co.uk). OLPAS offers a free electronic application service to those sets of chambers within the scheme - you will need to apply directly to non-OLPAS chambers. OLPAS has two 'recruitment seasons' and you can apply for 12 sets of chambers in each season. Closing dates are as follows: - Summer season - applications by 30 April
- Autumn season - applications by 30 September
The OLPAS application form asks for the obvious areas of information - academic qualifications, experience, achievements and the motivation for your chosen career. The following pointers should help when filling in the form: - Take your time over online applications. Make sure you have considered all your answers and reviewed your application before you press 'send'.
- Sell your work experience - chambers will expect you to have experience but they are interested in what you did and what you gained from this experience.
- Career motivation. What sort of person are you? What skills, qualities and achievements have you developed through your studies and extra-curricular activities? Why do you want to be a barrister, what areas of practice interest you, and what is the thinking behind these choices? These are some of the questions you will be expected to address in more detail at an interview. If you can't convince on paper you may not get to the interview stage.
- Tailor your applications - you will have to complete the career motivation section for each of the 12 separate sets of chambers you apply to. Your responses should address their requirements and concerns.
Applications to non-OLPAS chambers are usually by curriculum vitae and covering letter, and the same principles apply as if you were attempting to market yourself effectively to any employer. In designing your own CV and letter a high standard of presentation is very important - your university careers service can provide you with examples, and give you feedback on the quality of your CV and letter. Preparing for interviewsPreparation is the key word! Build on the research and groundwork you have done for your paper applications. If you have a realistic picture of the job and the working environment then many of the likely interview questions below (and variations on these) are obvious. Why the Bar? - Tests your knowledge of the role and the profession and encourages you to show evidence of your relevant qualifications, skills, experience and motivation for a career as a barrister. What can you offer? - Again an opportunity to sell your relevant skills, experience and achievements. Why have you applied to us/for this particular specialism? - Can you justify the reasons for your decision and argue a coherent case for your career choices? Helpful hints for interviews- Research and prepare thoroughly.
- Keep calm under pressure and expect to be challenged. Think before you speak. If you don't know the answer say so - there may not even be a 'right answer'. Stick to your guns and argue your case - the interview may try to test how you might stand up to the pressures of the job.
- Practical tasks. Chambers rarely run Assessment Centres as such, but you may be given a practical task such as a bail application or a legal problem about which you are asked to give an opinion. They are interested in how you use your problem-solving skills and how you can sustain an argument in support of your decisions.
Paul Cox: Careers Adviser, UWE Your university careers service can provide information, help and advice. Useful websites include: Bar Council www.barcouncil.org.uk OLPASwww.olpas.co.uk Law Careers Advisory Networkwww.lcan.csu.ac.uk Student Law Centrewww.studentlaw.com Inns of Court: Lincoln's Inn,Students' Department, Treasury Office, Lincoln's Inn, London WC2A 3TL. Tel. 020 7405 0138 Inner Temple,Education 7 Training Department, Treasurer's Office, Inner Temple, London EC4Y 7HL, Tel. 020 7797 8250 Middle Temple,Students' Department, Treasury Office, Middle Temple, London EC4Y 9AT, Tel. 020 7427 4800 Gray's Inn, Education department, 8 South Square, Gray's Inn, London WC1R 5EU, Tel. 020 7458 7900 |
