The Legal Cheek View
Leading set Brick Court Chambers is a prestigious place — where else do you get to say a “large amount of my work has actually involved appearing before Supreme Court justices,” as one member does. The set has an impressive roster of members and door tenants, filled with KCs, Lords, and Sirs. Retired Law Lords Lord Hoffman and Lord Phillips are among the door tenants, as is Lord Hope, who is now an arbitrator, having retired from the Supreme Court in 2013.
Perhaps best known as a commercial set — with expertise in commercial dispute resolution, banking and finance, insurance, civil fraud, and professional negligence — the set also has an impressive reputation in EU and competition law, as well as public law. Past cases range from a Supreme Court case considering whether doctors and families can agree to allow a person in a long-term vegetative state to die without having this decision approved by a court to a £1.2 billion mega-dispute over a stake in a Russian oligarch’s fishing company. One junior tenant at the set tells us: “chambers is exceptional in offering a wide variety of work at the highest standard. Members are lucky enough to be offered briefs at the cutting edge of commercial work, public law and competition. It’s never dull!”
The range of work certainly appeals to members, who tell us: “It’s possible to practice in both public and private law (which I find fascinating and challenging).” Questions over whether the relocation of asylum seekers to Rwanda is unlawful? Brick Court are on hand. £1 billion class action against Amazon? There too. What about a £14 billion class action against Google over UK advertising? You guessed it, there’s a Brick Court silk on hand and ready to argue. The set even tackles the likes of Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct feud with Newcastle United. In short, if it’s hit the headlines, there may well be a Brick Court junior or silk fighting the battle in and out of court.
The pupils don’t miss out either: one tells us “all cases I’ve worked on during pupillage have involved difficult questions of law”, with another junior barrister adding that “junior tenants are very lucky to have the best commercial, competition and public law work offered to us from the get-go.” It all sounds very exciting!
If someone is struggling with a particular case, we hear there is always help on hand. “Doors are always open” is the word on the street, with colleagues described as supportive “from the top down”. One junior tells us: “we have a few WhatsApp groups at the junior end which are filled with probing questions and members always dive in with helpful resources to assist”. Former pupils report a merciful absence of back-biting during the year as there is no limit to the number of tenancies on offer and everyone has a fair shot, with the most recent batch all being kept on. Pupils will no doubt be thankful for this collaborative atmosphere and limitless opportunity, especially given that the competition in previous years has included no less than a magic circle partner –former head of competition litigation at Freshfields, who left his £1.5 million annual income after 30 years at the firm to pursue his dream of life at the bar. This won’t be quite so shocking when you hear that the average first year income exceeds £150,000, however, with the average second year income in excess of £250,000, “in many cases by a considerable margin”.
Perhaps surprisingly, the work/life balance at the set isn’t too bad either. Members are not expected to work into the wee small hours, and a reasonable work-life balance is maintained. One pupil told us they worked 9am-6pm, adding “I’ve only gone outside those hours once or twice and I’ve never worked a weekend”. They do acknowledge, however, that this may change once tenancy begins. One tenant explains: “Achieving a good work life balance is the hardest challenge in practice at the bar”. We are told, however, that “most leaders in chambers and everyone in the clerks room is supportive of our endeavours to have a work life balance”. And, whilst, unsurprisingly, “most people work very hard”, we hear that “you have the flexibility and autonomy to do as much or as little as you like — so you can choose the degree of work-life balance you desire.”
When they do have some down time, members of Brick Court Chambers can often be found socialising together. Having recently celebrated their centenary, there were “lots of glittering social events and opportunities to have fun outside of work” including a big party at the Natural History Museum. Generally, we are told, “members are busy, but at the junior end we make time for each other, with casual fixtures like summer drinks at the champagne bar in Middle Temple!” For those less socially inclined, fear not. One tenant tells us, “there are many social events and people are friendly but there is no pressure to join in, which I appreciated”. And for those who would rather just have a pint than a party, you too are in luck. “There are often impromptu get-togethers at one of the many nearby pubs. On Thursday and Friday someone will always suggest an after-work pint on one of the many WhatsApp threads.”
For those heading to the social events, Brick Court Chambers certainly provides a good setting, having its own “beautiful” roof terrace. Inside, however, views are less positive. The decor is described as “uninspiring” and as having something of a “Wetherspoons look (orange woodwork & navy carpets…nice)”. We do hear, however, that a refurb is planned — it sounds like it’s needed! The IT support also has mixed reviews. While we’re told there is a “large and friendly IT team”, members report a “lack of support for Mac users”, which must be annoying.
Minor issues aside, Brick Court Chambers is clearly a stellar set. As such, it is looking to recruit the best pupils — up to five a year — and offers an award of £75,000. Those looking to apply should make their application through the Pupillage Gateway. As part of the application process, candidates must complete a mini-pupillage, which is assessed. Brick Court encourages all those interested in joining to apply for a mini-pupillage before they apply through the Pupillage Gateway system: there are two mini-pupillage windows per year. The scores from the mini-pupillage application form, the Pupillage Gateway form, and the assessed mini-pupillage will determine who gets invited to an interview. Around 15 candidates are invited to the two-part interview. The first part will deal with a case report that applicants are provided with in advance and will be expected to prepare a two-page skeleton argument to present on, whilst the second will involve an unseen question.
Those lucky enough to obtain pupillage should expect to see a wide range of chambers’ work over the course of the year. Pupils sit with three different supervisors. There are few opportunities for pupils to get up in court and put forward a case, but rookies report their skills are fine-tuned by a series of monthly advocacy exercises, for which they receive supervisor feedback on their performance. Pupils are also given a series of written exercises, each of which must be completed within five days, alongside being provided with two mentors: one junior and one silk. The process is described as “gruelling” by one former pupil, however the training is generally considered to be “very helpful”. Some juniors do bemoan, however, that there is little in the way of formal training once practice begins.
Brick Court is proud to participate in the COMBAR Mentoring Scheme for under-represented groups at the Bar as well as Bridging the Bar. It is also a supporter of the Bar Placement Scheme, the Charter for Black Talent in Finance and the Professions, an initiative devised by Brick Court’s very own Harry Matovu KC, and FreeBar, a network aiming to foster inclusion and support for LGBT+ people working as barristers. The set launched a Social Mobility Podcast Series in 2021 and also used its centenary year to raise money for social mobility charities the Sutton Trust and IntoUniversity, which it continues to work with.