4 Stone Buildings

The versatility of the work, and the frequent difficulty of defining it into neat categories, means that 4 Stone Buildings belongs to both the Commercial Bar Association and the Chancery Bar Association.

Recent exciting cases include Donald Lilly’s work on the ongoing litigation against Russian oligarch Ziyavudin Magomedov who was jailed in 2022 for 19 years on fraud and embezzlement charges; Jonathan Crow KC and James Knott working on a precedential Supreme Court case clarifying the law on ‘knowing receipt’; and Jonathan Crow KC representing the London Metal Exchange against a claim arising out of the cancellation and suspension of nickel trades.

From the junior perspective, an insider tells us that “the work at 4SB is a great mix of complex, high value litigation where juniors work in teams with more senior barristers, and smaller matters where juniors run the case and do the advocacy”. We are also told that there is a good combination of general contractual disputes and technical issues such as insolvency, meaning a balance of being on your feet and being sat researching the law. Whilst it is possible to specialise into certain areas later on in your career, we hear that most members retain a broad practice.

Within chambers, we hear that there is an open door policy and always someone to help you out if you are struggling with a complex case. One junior tells us “members are very approachable and are always willing to talk through any tricky points or law, ethics or practice!” Similarly, the “truly excellent” clerks are always on hand to help: “If a problem has arisen the clerks have always gone out of their way.”

The clerks are also supportive of members trying to strike that elusive work/life balance. Whilst there are inevitable “peaks and troughs”, we are told “the clerks are extremely supportive in that regard and make sure that the barristers don’t burn themselves out”. Another reports, “Barristers are free to decide their own hours and the amount of work they take on to fit with their personal/family life. We really do retain autonomy over our practices.” As one tenant sums up: “I consider myself extremely fortunate to work among such lovely people”.

For those wanting to spend more time with their “lovely” colleagues, 4 Stone Buildings regularly puts on a chambers’ tea, where members can chat about work or anything else. A new addition — or “recent improvement” as one junior puts it — is the introduction of Thursday drinks in the clerks’ room. We hear there are a few parties each year, such as the summer and Christmas parties, but generally the social side is a bit on the light side compared to other sets. As one tenant puts it, “it is fair to say we are not a set full of party animals”. Chambers do, however, participate in annual charitable events such as the London Legal Walk and the City of London 5K race.

4 Stone Buildings takes its social responsibility seriously with pro-bono playing a big role at the set: tenant Sharif Shivji KC has recently become Chair of Advocate, the Bar’s pro bono organisation, while Andrew de Mestre KC is the chair of the Chancery Bar Association’s pro bono committee. The set has also recently established a Green Committee to provide a focus for its environment related CSR initiatives and is part of the Pro Bono patron scheme.

In terms of where 4 Stone Buildings is located, it finds itself in a historic building in Lincoln’s Inn. Just outside, there is a “stunning 18th century quad”. Inside, each barrister has their own room and we are told that “incredibly high ceilings are a plus”. The only downside is that rooms can get quite chilly in the winter! Members are responsible for decorating their own rooms, so they can be as fancy as you wish.

In terms of facilities, the IT system is said to run smoothly, with a “brilliant” IT team on hand for when there are problems. “We have a great IT manager who is available at all times to assist us. She is a real superstar!” praised one insider. The set has also recently “massively improved access to online legal resources” and has “a new secure cloud-based platform”. It all sounds very sleek!

Those keen to complete pupillage at 4 Stone Buildings must apply through the Pupillage Gateway and will be assessed on intellectual ability, as well as the competences set out in the Bar Standard Board’s Professional Statement for Barristers, which includes an ability to work with others, professional standards, and personal values. Those scoring highest on the written application will be invited to an interview. Unusually, 4 Stone Buildings operates a single-round interview process, with those performing best being invited to take up a pupillage offer.

Those fortunate enough to obtain one of two pupillages on offer each year will receive a generous award of £80,000. Each pupil will sit with four different supervisors, reading their papers, attending conferences, drafting documents, writing draft opinions, and accompanying their supervisor to Court. They will also have the opportunity to complete work for other members of chambers should particular areas of work interest them. Unlike many commercial and chancery sets, the second six is not practising — the emphasis will continue to be on learning. This will suit some aspiring barristers and not others. All pupils at 4 Stone Buildings are provided with a mentor and are encouraged to attend events such as chambers’ tea. Overall, one recent pupil describes: “pupillage was a comprehensive, supportive and enriching process”.

4 Stone Buildings welcome applicants from all backgrounds and participates in a wide-range of initiatives to enhance diversity at the bar, including Bridging the Bar, 10,000 Black Interns, and the Bar Placement Scheme.

The pupillage experience

I was drawn to 4 Stone Buildings because it is a leading commercial chancery set, consistently achieving high rankings in the legal directories in its core areas of expertise, including general commercial litigation, company law, civil fraud and insolvency law. I felt these areas would play to my strengths, given my financial and commercial background. I was also impressed by the many (and varied) achievements of members of chambers, including judicial appointments, appointments to the Attorney-General’s Panel of Counsel (undertaking work for the government) and institutions such as the Charity Commission and Advocate.

A pupil at 4 Stone Buildings will usually sit with four different supervisors. The first six months is divided into two seats of three months each, while the second six is divided into seats of roughly two

months and four months, so that all supervisors can see a pupil’s work before a tenancy decision is made in July.

There is slightly more focus on the work output during the second six months, because by that point a pupil’s work should be closer to the standard of a junior tenant. That said, there are no formal assessments and pupils are assessed on how they perform over the 8-9 months prior to the tenancy decision.

My pupillage consisted largely of live work (except where there were obvious gaps in my experience that I needed to fill). This meant that my work generally mirrored that of my supervisor. If they were drafting a pleading, skeleton, or opinion, I would do the same. I discussed my supervisors’ cases with them as they developed, and carried out legal research on points of law that arose. I also attended court with them.

I gained experience of a wide variety of the work done in chambers, including company law, insolvency law, civil fraud, offshore disputes, contentious trusts work and work under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Two of my supervisors were on the Attorney General’s A Panel of Counsel, which meant that I saw complex government work with a high degree of public importance.

I received feedback on each piece of work I carried out for my supervisor, so I knew generally how well I was doing during the course of the year and where I needed to improve. This was re-assuring as pupillage is naturally an intense and stressful year. I found that my supervisors were generally trying to reduce the pressure I felt under, rather than to increase it.

The transition from pupil to tenant

Transitioning from pupil to tenant is a steep learning curve, because, as a pupil, the recipient of my advice was my supervisor (rather than a solicitor) and I was generally given generous periods of time to undertake the work. Providing advice on practice and procedure to associates and partners on my own cases, with a shorter turnaround time, felt much more challenging.

The transition was eased a little because I started some of my own work in the final month of pupillage, while still being supervised. This included hearings of winding up petitions and bankruptcy petitions. The other juniors in chambers were also very helpful in offering advice and guidance (and still are).

I was also fortunate enough to be brought onto sizeable cases with two of my supervisors quite early on which provided me with plenty of work in the first few months. I have experienced very few quiet periods since I started!

What is your practice like now?

My practice consists of a roughly equal mix of led and unled work. The led work will involve higher sums in dispute and more complex issues.

My unled work has included insolvency applications (such as administration applications, applications for validation orders and applications by a trustee in bankruptcy for the sale of land), general commercial and contractual disputes in the county courts (including a sale of goods case where it was alleged that shoes were not fit for purpose) and interim applications (including successfully defending a summary judgment application involving a personal guarantee). I have also taken on a pro bono case through Advocate involving allegations of misrepresentation.

I am in court roughly once every two weeks, but this can vary. There are times where I am in court multiple times a week, and other months where I have a clearer diary and am either working towards a bigger hearing or conducting desk-based work.

The hours that I spend in chambers are up to me. I try to be in chambers from around 8:30am to 6:15pm each day and maintain that routine, but there are obviously days where my workload will be more or less than that and I will sometimes work over the weekend, especially where I have a major hearing coming up or many of my cases have deadlines at the same time.

What is the culture of chambers?

From the moment I received my pupillage offer, I found everyone in chambers to be very supportive and friendly. Even before starting pupillage, I was invited to chambers’ summer party and was taken out for lunch (along with my co-pupil) by junior members of chambers.

4 Stone Buildings has a very collegiate atmosphere. Both senior and junior members of chambers are always happy to assist or to have a chat. There is no formal distinction between the most junior tenant and the senior silks. Although it is up to individuals whether they work from home or from chambers, members do come into chambers regularly.

While members of chambers value the autonomy that comes from being self-employed practitioners, there is a strong emphasis on supporting other members (especially junior members) to develop their practices. We have a scheme where more senior practitioners mentor new practitioners and all members of chambers have regular meetings with the clerks to discuss their practices.

The clerks are very good at supporting tenants during their early years, and helping to develop their practice in the direction they want. The clerks (and other support staff) are also fully involved in the social life of chambers.

On the social side, tea takes place three times each week and we have drinks in chambers every Thursday evening. We have summer and Christmas parties (which partners are invited to) and other events to celebrate major milestones, including retirements and silk parties.

Top tips for those wanting to become a barrister/secure a pupillage at your chambers

When applying for pupillage, it is useful to have a basic understanding of what commercial chancery law involves. This is because prospective pupils will need to persuade the interview panel that they have an interest in and aptitude for this area of law. The best way of gaining this understanding is to undertake mini-pupillages at commercial chancery sets and to attend their open evenings. Mini-pupils will see first-hand the type of work undertaken and will have the opportunity to ask barristers about their practices and their lifestyle. It is worth maintaining a list of the work that you have seen and what you have learned or found interesting from the experience.

I would also recommend participating in as many mooting competitions as possible. There is simply no better way of learning how to structure and deliver legal arguments, while also being questioned by a judge (and having to respond on the spot). That experience is similar to what will take place at interview. These moots will also often introduce you to a new area of law and may involve writing skeleton arguments and legal research. Both are helpful as preparation for pupillage interviews.