Look at Legal500, Chambers and Partners and read into some of the cases the Barristers have been in. Do not worry about how you come across. One round of interviews, often the first, may be short and focused on a specific skill such as advocacy or may be focused on a set of questions that are being asked to every candidate. Prepare for this by thinking about how barristers you may have seen in mini-pupillages did this, and what you would change about that. And at the criminal Bar, whatever brickbats we throw at the system and the punitive lifestyle the Bar engenders, life is never, ever dull. Be careful with what you put out there. This cookies is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos. Nor does it matter a jot when youre in front of a judge or jury pleading the unwinnable case (or worse, the eminently winnable). You must be aware of recent changes in legislation affecting the areas of law in which chambers specialise. Tip 4: As difficult as it is, do not care about the outcome. Tip 2: Play the game and give the Sets you are interviewing at what they want. There will be a lot of law chat. As with all tests or exams, you should be provided with a pack that contains everything about what you are expected to do. Unlike previous years however, I did manage to secure a second-round interview at a chambers I liked, and I thought that both interviews went well. I just dont seem to have any. If you are doing a mini-pupillage or attending an advice session run by the Inns or your Bar Course provider or otherwise have access to a barrister, ask them what the best and worst aspects of their practice area are, what they think are the key skills in practice and if you have an idea about the work, test it out on them first before you use it in an interview. Be yourself. LOLZ! You will deserve everything you get. But try not to be fazed. Perceptions change in practice. What do you do, why and what approach do you take? Many will have Masters degrees. Pupillages are generally offered almost 18 months in advance of their start dates. Your CV counts for absolutely nothing when youre sitting in a cell opposite a screaming heroin addict who has stabbed his cellmate in the eye and is threatening to exact upon you his frustration that his solicitor hasnt been to visit him. Yes, its a lot of work. It seems that it is equally applicable to pupillage interviews. (Life at the Bar is much the same.) Pupillage Interviews - Round 2 - Congrapps Chambers are usually supportive when it comes to this, but you often have to request. Dont be. This cookie is used by vimeo to collect tracking information. In other words, you are not expected to identify ten points and read off the leading Supreme Court cases about those points. My brilliant colleague in Chambers, Adam Constable QC, says that as a barrister you should be on average 30% nervous all the time. When watching the case, do not look at what the senior members of chambers are doing alone, look at what the juniors are doing. Advocacy and presentation skills: the ability to present clear, concise and logical arguments in a lucid and self-assured way. TargetJobs Laws YouTube channel has many years of videos of the talks given at their National Pupillage Fair by barristers across all the practice areas this is information straight from the horses mouth. Mine certainly did, as I was sure I did not want to do crime, but it turns out I love advocacy and my criminal pupillage meant for daily fun and excitement. A guide to pupillage interviews - Features Buff up your strong points. When answering this question, you must make it personal to you and immediately refer to your experiences to back up your reasons for wanting to be a barrister. Just remember, for every failure, the next day there may be a success for you to grab on to. I was lucky enough that a flippant topic Id picked up on was of enormous interest to a wonderfully fun and quirky member of chambers on the panel, who quickly turned the conversation round to 1980s power ballads. These are some of the most widely debated topics in law, both historically and today. Shearn Delamore Pupillage Interview Questions | Glassdoor Now, just to give you some background about how this particular article came about - last month, I collaborated with six juniors at the Bar. So, for every single pupillage interview you have, really think about who is on the receiving end and prepare with that in mind. Many thanks to the silks again for their valuable contributions. Tip 2: Structure your answers. So if you have prepared, you will be able to give good answers, and the panel will be willing you on the whole time. 10 Examples Of Interview Feedback You Can Use. Aspiring barrister uses GDPR regs to secure pupillage interview feedback This is usually shown through your academic achievements and publications. 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Impromptu presentations on random subjects; a Dragons Den pitch on something I had two minutes to invent; idiotic Oxbridge-interview questions (If you were a banana, what car would you drive? etc); deliberately confusing written exercises and needlessly aggressive interview styles were, and probably still are, all common features. While considering other careers is not a problem, you should answer by demonstrating that you have considered other careers that involve some aspect of the law or require skills that are transferable to the legal profession. Have something interesting to say when . . I call it the Constable Quotient. Dont see it as something to be feared see it as a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate to the Panel that you have the necessary skills and ability to do the job. Copyright 2022- Material published on this website is protected by copyright. Line up a few of these during your interview prep. These exercises are meant to simulate what might happen in court or at a tribunal. Discover what a first-round pupillage interview really looks like. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. If you have a passion for something in the law, then demonstrate that. So if you really have a question, then this is your opportunity to ask, but do not feel like you have to just for the sake of it. 32 Followers. The well-advised will also have squeezed some pro bono legal advisory work into their non-existent free time. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visted in an anonymous form. The Guardian is free to access online. If you are applying to criminal sets, the Secret Barristers books are essential background reading. They want you to give the right answer and to respond well to their questions. This is the linkhttps://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/barrister-insiders-guide. This is another deliberate question asked by pupillage interview panels to gauge what you think makes a good barrister. I beg you not to answer a question about a case which you have said fascinated you the poor interviewer is trying to give you a chance to show off here - by saying it was a year ago and you cant really remember. Deep breaths, slow and considered responses and substituting a brief pause for umm or err or, heaven forfend, like, are mandatory habits. See examples of competency-based questions, Find out how to answer questions about legal news, Get prepared for whatever the interviewer throws at you. Be ready to offer a balanced view with respect to both sides of the argument, particularly on political stories. When you are applying to the Bar, you have to understand that it is an incredibly competitive business, against very able people, who will all want the same things as you, and will have the same skills that they are trying to deploy as you. In some chambers, the whole Pupillage Recruitment Committee (PRC) will be in your second-round interview! Essential! Bewigged and Bewilderedby Adam Kramer QC includes a lot of extremely helpful information, including as to what the various practice areas involve. Youll do much better if youre appropriately confident. Mock interviews | Pupillage and how to get it The people the panel remember from the interview were the ones who gave clear, compelling, insightful answers to our questions, not the people with wacky hobbies. Some of your interviews will go badly, some may be an unmitigated disaster. At my first ever interview, I span a fluffy cat story about how I was inspired by the story of somebody I met on a mini-pupillage, and how I aspired to tread in their footsteps. Developing a mantra. The Bar is not the be-all and end-all. It is worth saying because remember chambers are looking to help you. You are always better of taking a moment and giving a well-structured, persuasive answer, than answering hastily. See the videoPupillage Interviews Uncovered II. Im a commercial chancery barrister who has done first round pupillage interviews in the past, and while I agree with much of this, I have a different perspective on a few points. The Pupillage Gateway has closed. You will need to demonstrate that you can answer without using jargon to ensure that you are fully understood. This just puts unnecessary pressure on you. According to The Inner Temple, this is a genuine question asked by some chambers interview panels. Arguably the biggest issue to affect UK law in recent years, Brexit is a huge topic. Although you are being interviewed, you are also interviewing. This cookie is set by Youtube. Think of something non-legal (to demonstrate your glorious diversity) on which you have personal experience or strongly-held views, and have it wrapped up and ready to fire in the event it is called upon. It does not correspond to any user ID in the web application and does not store any personally identifiable information. If you did that, it would actually be a point against you because we are interested in the analysis of the principles and not how many cases you know. You don't always have to ask because most chambers have a wealth of information of their website. I would have not gotten it if I had done the interview the day before. PDF Kalisher Trust Preparation for pupillage interviews Tuesday 23 February One round of interviews, often the first, may be short and focused on a specific skill such as advocacy or may be focused on a set of questions that are being asked to every candidate. The blunt fact is that everybody being interviewed will have a good 2:1 or 1st class degree. I think just take a deep breath and try your best. You will be giving a variant of an answer the panel has heard a thousand times before. It does not store any personal data. Instead, you will be expected to present a logical, well-presented and well-structured argument to address a hotly debated topic relating to law. Remember, if you are a member of Inner Temple you can contact the Education & Training Department to apply for a mock interview under the Inn's Mock Interview Scheme. Kieran Alker is a first class law graduate. This quiz is designed to give you a helpful steer as to which practice area you might be suited to. For more detailed information about the cookies we use, see our. To prepare for your interview, you are strongly advised to do the following: It is common for sets of chambers to give you a legal problem to present or a topic to discuss at interview. The point of a mock interview is to get an objective assessment of how you come across. Chambers usually know this a week before your interview. And think about the type of client you are advising just a solicitor or an experienced company director, or an ordinary person who will need legal terms explaining. It is really important to not just dive into the problem. You might be able to access the Times online via law library subscriptions or your Inn. I do not mean you shouldn't prepare for the interview and give it your best, but the outcome is out of your control. Barristers love lists. Tip 5: Be engaging. Articulate and perfect them. If you narrow down your options too much, you might be missing opportunities for yourself. If you have reached the interview stage, you are already well on your way to securing a pupillage. However, as is so often pointed out, resilience is key and rejections are a natural part of such a competitive process, so, its something you have to try and get used to. In case you have not read the About section of my website, I initially embarked on a career at the Bar. For example: You have accepted pupillage with one set of chambers. To do this, I would suggest two things. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. This cookie is set by doubleclick.net. Try to react positively and dont be afraid to stick to your point. If you fabricate, we will find you out. The interview procedures adopted by chambers can be very varied. How to Get a Pupillage | A Step-by-Step Guide | The Lawyer Portal Your judgment and powers of advocacy are the skills that cant be reflected on pornographic CVs, and are the ones that matter most. Take a moment to think about the question that you have been asked before answering. This is more so the case for those who reach the second (generally the final) round of interviews. All it takes to break a losing streak is just one lucky win. The pupillage interview process how best to prepare for your pupillage Do not be overly formal. Perhaps role-play something similar with your friends. The __gads cookie, set by Google, is stored under DoubleClick domain and tracks the number of times users see an advert, measures the success of the campaign and calculates its revenue. The cookie is set by embedded Microsoft scripts. But you only need one good interview, so dont beat yourself up too much about the ones that go badly. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. All will have (or will shortly have) at least a Very Competent mark on the BPTC. A crucial element of the preparation for an interview is having the right mindset. Others might feel like they know what they want to do and may opt for very niche areas. If there are things you want to ask about or things that matter to you, do not be afraid to raise them.