4 Pump Court

The work at 4 Pump Court is “challenging and stimulating”. One junior tenant, describing the work at the set, explains that it is “totally absorbing: every case is like a massive chess match. Cutting edge law, global clients and very high stakes: what’s not to like? It’s why you come to the bar”. For juniors, we are told that there is a good mixture of led and unled work. Junior barristers can expect the chance to get “involved in really big-ticket commercial trials and arbitrations all the time, [and] there’s a valuable balance between being led by KCs and doing proper advocacy on your own”.

When on their feet, pupils and juniors can expect to spend a “significant proportion” of their time in the county courts, dealing with, for example, sale of goods and insurance disputes — perhaps not quite the headline-grabbing cases the KCs are fronting, but invaluable for gaining advocacy experience and developing your practice.

Speaking of headline-grabbing cases, 4 Pump Court is full of them. Alex Charlton KC and Daniel Khoo appeared in a highly publicised multi-billion dollar claim brought against a number of bitcoin software developers – the first case before the English court to consider the role and duties of cryptoasset software developers. Exciting stuff! Meanwhile, Quentin Tannock saw success in the High Court, ensuring a £1 million counterclaim was dismissed on behalf of supermarket chain CostCutter.

The good news for pupils and juniors at the set is that they can learn from those more senior than them. We are told there is an open-door policy at the set and there is “a wonderfully collegiate atmosphere” with many claiming 4 Pump Court has “the nicest people at the bar”. Tenants internally refer to themselves as “the happy ship” — fitting given their shipping expertise! In terms of developing your practice, apparently there is a “raft of policies and initiatives to assist people to develop their practice in the way they want” — we’re not just telling these for fun! One tenant confides that “the supportiveness extends not just to mulling over a legal problem but also chatting about life more broadly”. We imagine that is why one junior tells us that they “wouldn’t want to practice anywhere else”.

Despite the support of colleagues, being at such a prestigious set does mean that work can take its toll. As one tenant explains, “the highest end commercial work is extremely time-intensive”. Generally, views of tenants on how they find their work/life balance are fairly mixed, but one tenant explains that it “is really up to the individual barrister and chambers supports work/life balance choices”. Another adds, “everyone can choose how much they work. The minimum expectations are not unduly onerous.” The clerks are said to be “generally supportive and understanding where they have the power to influence workload” and we’re also told of a Wellbeing Committee which organises talks on managing the work/life balance, stress, and other topics.

When members at 4 Pump Court need some downtime, they can participate in the “regular” coffees, lunches, or drinks that members take together. We are also told that on Fridays members will often participate in a missing song lyric quiz before heading down to Daly’s, a wine bar opposite the Royal Courts of Justice. Apparently, this is especially popular with the younger members. From a Christmas Jumper Day to a private screening of James Bond to participating in the London Legal Walk, there has been lots for members to get involved with over the past year. There are also more formal events such as chambers’ lunches and an annual Christmas party.

In terms of location, chambers are just off Middle Temple Lane. “The outside is featured in many a film — always a sign of a good location!” One junior comments, “the downstairs has recently got a very nice refurbishment. Barristers are able to decorate their rooms to their own preferences”.

The extensive refurbishment included re-kitting the conference rooms out for remote hearings, so the main part of the chambers is now said to be “extremely chic, and has all the mod cons.” The client suite also apparently “now looks like a boutique hotel” and the new coffee machines are a bonus! One tenant cheekily comments that “it’s missing only a gym and pool”.

IT provision has “much improved over the years” and, as a specialist IT set, it is no surprise there are people on hand to engage with IT suppliers. Chambers has “dedicated IT member of staff to help with issues, good equipment for virtual hearings in the conference rooms and as one would expect for an internationally focussed chambers good systems for working remotely”.

For those interested in applying for pupillage at 4 Pump Court, the set offers a generous £80,000 with opportunities to earn more during their second six. Successful applicants will complete their pupillage with three pupil supervisors. During the first six months, they will receive training in the work of a commercial barrister, and will accompany their supervisor to client conferences and to court, as well as producing written work which will be reviewed. In the second six, pupils will get on their feet and frequently find themselves before district and circuit judges in the county courts.

Taking on two pupils a year, 4 Pump Court recruits through its own application form as opposed to through Pupillage Gateway. The application form is marked based on the following criteria: academic ability, analytical skills, common sense and sound judgement, advocacy, impact, ability to deal with people, resilience and independence, motivation and capacity for hard work, and integrity. Those scoring highest based on the paper application — around 16 — will be invited to a first round interview, where candidates are judged on the same criteria. They will be given a legal problem to prepare in a waiting room before discussing the problem in front of about four barristers of different levels of seniority. The five or six highest scorers from the first round will be invited to a second-round interview which focuses on oral advocacy. Candidates are given mock court papers in advance and must then advocate a 15-minute mock hearing in front of the interview panel.

4 Pump Court emphasises that they are committed to equal opportunities and to diversity, selecting pupils purely on merit. Focusing on outreach right from school-aged students, it is clear that social mobility is a big deal to the set! They are a supporter of the Charter for Black Talent in Finance and the Professions and that they “give deliberate preference to Black candidates when faced with a tie-breaker situation, providing such candidates are equally qualified”. They also participate in COMBAR’s mentoring scheme for under-represented groups, Bridging the Bar, and Inner Temple Pegasus Access and Support Scheme, and this year held their inaugural Pride Moot which they intend to be an annual event.

The pupillage experience

I chose to come to 4 Pump Court because I knew I wanted three things: (1) high quality commercial work across a range of interesting areas; (2) lots of advocacy experience as a junior tenant; and (3) a collegiate and friendly atmosphere. Although I hadn’t done a mini pupillage here, my research and conversations with members of Chambers at various events suggested that 4 Pump Court hit those criteria.

Pupillage at 4 Pump Court involves sitting with 4 junior tenants for three months each. My supervisors ranged between 10 to 20 years call and I appreciated the chance to understand the evolution of a barrister’s practice over time. Generally, pupils are sat with barristers practicing across the range of Chambers’ expertise, so I had exposure to shipping, IT, general commercial, and construction disputes. My experience was also pretty evenly split between court work and arbitration, both domestic and international.

For the first six months, there is a mix of live and dead work depending on the workload of your supervisor. Both have their advantages. With live work, it was great to be an active part of a real case, while dead work provided opportunities to develop necessary skills in a very structured way. Feedback on both kinds of work was comprehensive, transparent, and helpful, and I felt that there was a very clear emphasis on training me, as opposed to simply assessing me. The second six at 4 Pump Court is practicing, which means that from April onwards pupils are sent out to various county courts to fight small claims, as well as taking on their own pleadings and written work. There is a very carefully monitored balance between your own work and work for your supervisor, especially in the three months leading up to the tenancy decision in late June, and pupils generally aren’t given more than two court outings a week to make sure they still have plenty of time for supervisor training. Pupils also complete four assessments, two written and two advocacy, which are all completed before the start of the practicing second six in April. These are assessed by a panel of two to three barristers and give you the change to get feedback from a broader range of chambers’ members.

The tenancy decision is made nine months in, primarily on the basis of pupillage supervisor reports and assessment results. The decision is made by heads of chambers on the recommendation of the pupillage committee – so only people who have had a role in training you have any input in your tenancy recommendation. I found the process to be transparent and straightforward, and aside from the obvious stress of the year I look back on pupillage with a lot of good memories.

The transition from pupil to tenant

After the tenancy decision in July, I began to take on more and more of my own work, so the transition to tenant actually felt fairly seamless from a workload perspective. The tricky part was learning to manage my own diary and timetable, and to cope with the double-edged freedom of independence and self-employment.

I learnt that very open communication with the clerks was the best thing when managing my diary. Our clerking team is great and they don’t pressure you to say yes to unsustainable workloads. They are also very good at negotiating deadlines and expectations with clients, but this is much easier to do at instructions stage – which can only happen when you are open and realistic about your capacity.

While it was hard to lose the support of a supervisor in the same room as me to ask questions, we have a very supportive junior team and our junior chat quickly became my go-to place for seeking answers to tricky legal, procedural or strategic issues.

What is your practice like now?

My first year as a tenant has given me broad exposure, both in terms of scale of disputes and areas of law. At present, I am a junior on a very large international construction arbitration with a magic circle law firm, but the majority of my work this year has been unled. I’ve drafted pleadings for various smaller scale commercial disputes in arbitrations and in the County Court/Circuit Commercial Court, and have appeared unled in the County Court, Admiralty Division, and in front of disciplinary tribunals in professional misconduct matters. I regularly draft LMAA pleadings and advices in shipping matters; commercial and consumer construction disputes; and crypto law disputes. Lots of chambers’ work is quite technical or fact heavy, so if (like me) you enjoy expanding your engineering,; chemistry; or business knowledge, then it is all very engaging.

On average, I am in court around two to three times a month, but my longest unled hearing to date was five days and included lay and expert evidence. My typical working week is normally 9-6 pm, and I generally work from chambers. Aside from urgent deadlines, I’ve found it is generally very possible to maintain a work life balance with being committed to this vocation. In terms of professional development, the clerking team are very proactive and regularly organise drinks and seminars with various clients. There is also strong support for international business development and there is generally an organised chambers’ presence at international events abroad, which I plan to take better advantage of next year.

Finally, chambers also has a great mentoring scheme and I have quarterly meetings with a senior junior where I set professional goals and am monitored against them, which I find very helpful.

What is the culture of chambers?

Chambers’ culture is definitely collegiate, and I’ve especially appreciated the strong personal links at the junior end. There is normally always someone around to go to lunch with or ask a question and everyone is very generous with their time and energy. Chambers in general feels non-hierarchical and I feel like there is a pleasant working culture of mutual respect between everyone, from silks to junior juniors. The clerking team is also a great balance between being pro-active and supportive without making you feel pressured. However, this collegiate atmosphere is blended with a strong drive from the business development team and from senior leadership to push chambers’ global profile; and to continually improve our position in the market and the quality of our work. I personally feel the benefit of this; there has been a strong uptick in the quality and quantity of junior work opportunities over the last 10 years and I really enjoy being in a set that supports any ambitions or work interests that you may have.

Covid has altered work and life at the Bar, and a lot more people do work from home now, but we still have monthly chambers’ drinks,; chambers’ lunches, and biannual internal parties, all of which are generally well attended and are great fun. Chambers’ drinks are preceded by a “Guess the Lyrics” competition, which is always fought fiercely (I’ve managed to win exactly once).

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

I would make sure your paper applications are as easily digestible as possible and that you highlight explicitly the way you satisfy chambers’ criteria. At interview, I would try and come across as relaxed as possible (without seeming flippant) – everyone interviewing you will have to work alongside you one day and it is nice to see people’s personalities as well as their legal capabilities. Beyond the application process, I would highlight the benefits of taking a longer route to the Bar. I’m very glad I had at least a year of legal work experience, and while I wouldn’t change anything about my career path, it would have been equally valuable to have spent a few more years doing other things before coming to the Bar. I have colleagues who have worked in tech start-ups; qualified as solicitors; or been engineers or IT developers before coming to the Bar, all of which are experiences which have only helped their practices. A longer route is certainly nothing to worry about – there is no need to see your path to the Bar as a fixed timetable.