Mini-Pupillages

In today’s episode we are talking all things mini-pupillage. Mini-pupillages are short periods of work experience in barristers’ chambers and are essential for anyone seeking pupillage or considering a career at the Bar. They are the best way to see inside a set of chambers and to understand what a barrister’s practice – and life – really entails. They are also an excellent way to improve your CV. Mini-pupillages can be hard to come by so we hear from our guests how to apply and, when you land that precious mini, the secrets to impress and the pitfalls to avoid. We kick off the episode asking one of the most controversial questions of all… Guests in order of appearance Cathryn McGahey QC: silk at Temple Garden Chambers https://tgchambers.com/member-profile/cathryn-mcgahey-qc/ Julia Horner: Practice Director at Blackstone Chambers https://www.blackstonechambers.com/recruitment/staff/ Alexander Robson: barrister at Littleton Chambers, co-author of The Path to Pupillage, Harold G. Fox Scholar http://www.littletonchambers.com/barrister/alexander-robson/ Master Ann Hussey: silk and Master of the Bench at 1 Hare Court https://www.1hc.com/people/ann-hussey-qc/ Elaine Banton: barrister at 7 Bedford Row http://www.7br.co.uk/barrister/elaine- banton/ Useful Links For some further advice about mini-pupillages: https://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/the-bar/mini-pupillage-vacancies https://www.lawcareers.net/barristers/minipupillages https://www.allaboutlaw.co.uk/law-careers/mini-pupillage Glossary GDL: Graduate Diploma in Law – a year’s law course for those who have not undertaken an undergraduate law degree. Also known informally as the ‘law conversion course’. Law conversion course: the graduate diploma in law. Marshalling: work experience shadowing a judge. Mini-Pupillage: a period of work experience in a barristers’ chambers, usually a week or less, sometimes assessed. These are generally only available to those in their final year of a law degree or from the law conversation course onward. QC: Queen’s Counsel – an award for excellence in advocacy in the higher courts. Those barristers who become QCs are also known as ‘silks’. The title depends on the sex of the sovereign and during the reign of a king, QCs will become ‘King’s Counsel’ or ‘KCs’.