Cornerstone Barristers

Recent high-profile member appearances include the Post Office IT scandal and subsequent public inquiry; an examination into the largest solar farm in the UK; an enquiry into the DWP’s Artificial Intelligence usage; Uber’s London licensing appeal; a legal challenge against the UK’s government’s environmental travel guidance; and judicial review claims relating to the Home Secretary’s use of former military bases for asylum housing. Other notable cases have included the Grenfell Inquiry and the UK’s first “buffer zone” outside an abortion clinic. The establishment of Cornerstone Climate, a hub for climate litigation and advice, has also brought in instructions on two of the most significant climate change cases of the last year — the Finch Litigation in the Supreme Court and the Carbon Budget Delivery Plan challenge. Such varied and challenging work means that “there is rarely a boring day in the office”.

An insider describes the career progression at Cornerstone as tending to start with “quick summary possession hearings in the County Court” but then progressing to “pick up opportunities to broaden and deepen your practice”. The set also provides “good opportunities to undertake led work”.

The supportive nature of the set leads proud tenants to claim that “Cornerstone is rightly recognised as one of the most collegiate and supportive sets of chambers at the bar”. Many members describe the set as being “truly like a family” and all praise the open-door policy, which insiders say “is something we pride ourselves on in chambers”. Another member tells us that having a supportive atmosphere is a specific strategic objective of the set: “Being able to pick the brains of an experienced practitioner on a key point not only makes your work better, but it also makes doing the job significantly less stressful, which is very welcome, especially when approaching new areas.” The female members of Cornerstone also have their own designated WhatsApp group where they celebrate each other’s successes and offer advice.

Chambers also has “strong policies supporting those with families or other caring responsibilities, and a committee with wellbeing at its heart.” One junior tells us that they “developed an autoimmune condition which meant [they] needed to go slow for a while”, but “both the staff and other members of chambers have been reassuring, understanding, sympathetic, everything you can expect… and the best of all, not surprised or patronising as [they] have rebuilt [their] practice and strength”. As one happy tenant sums up, Cornerstone is home to the “best bunch of people you could ever work with”.

The high praise continues when it comes to work life balance with one well-travelled tenant simply saying “having been in three different sets, I have found Cornerstone to be the best at this.” Another source offered this insight: “Chambers recognises that barristers can only build a sustainable, satisfying practice in the long term if they are well-supported to have a life beyond work. I have not once experienced pushback for taking long holidays, nor building a practice where working on the weekend is the exception rather than the norm.” The clerking team is also said to be “marvellous” at improving WLB and “sensitive to members’ needs”. But aspiring barristers should not forget that “this job is not for the faint hearted or the work-shy” and that “there are of course times when litigation tilts the balance more towards work”.

When it comes to the social side of chambers, one member exclaims: “Where do I start? Our numerous chambers’ charity cycling trips across the UK and France? The holidays I’ve taken abroad with friends from chambers? The weddings and housewarming parties and personal events we’ve attended together? Our chambers book club? Our Friday cocktails at Catalyst on Gray’s Inn Road? The Christmas dance parties?” The set really lives by the work hard, play hard mantra and, for those who are less active socially, there is still “always a colleague to have lunch or coffee with” and a “lively chat on WhatsApp”.

Cornerstone takes its wider commitments seriously with more than half of its members committing an average of 50 hours pro bono each year, possessing an active corporate social responsibility committee, and being a member in the Bar Council’s newly established Sustainability Network.

In terms of the buildings, the traditional Inns of Court building which houses the set, backs onto Gray’s Inn Gardens and had a substantial facelift in 2016, meaning it now “boasts a modern, client-facing, air-conditioned conference suite”. Still, insiders label the space “warm and welcoming rather than glitzy and impressive”. Inside, you can decorate to your individual tastes with one offering this glimpse into their abode: “My room in chambers is absolutely beautiful and looks out onto Gray’s Inn walks – I sit next to a great big window. I have filled it with plants, prints and rugs to match my cosy vibe, but everyone is different. The outside of chambers is in keeping with the look of Gray’s Inn.” A large room is specifically set aside for the newest tenants to share, which one member says “was an important feature of my first years in chambers and a setting where several friendships were cemented”.

Technology-wise, “members are well connected to chambers’ IT infrastructure, both in chambers and remotely, and are supported by well-informed and helpful IT staff”. One praises the “IT team” for being “endlessly patient” and “always on hand to sort things when crisis strikes”. Other facilities on offer are hot desking, a well-supplied library, and showers for those members who cycle to work.

Cornerstone offers two pupillages each year, with a generous award of £70,000. Training at the set is highly-rated. One junior gleans “My pupil supervisors have remained mentors as well as colleagues to me, and I feel well supported as a junior tenant. I have noticed throughout my own journey into self-employed practice the extent to which the skills carefully honed during pupillage have benefitted me.” The learning continues into tenancy, with one member commenting that, whether leading or being led, they “have the opportunity to learn from and with [their] colleagues in chambers and find the benefits of collaborative working invaluable”. The set facilitates continued training by laying on “a plentiful and varied programme of seminars, webinars and conferences”.

Pupils at Cornerstone sit with at least three pupil supervisors during the first nine months of pupillage, who “go above and beyond in making sure that you develop with each and every piece of work” and together cover the set’s core practice areas. One pupil reports: “Throughout my pupillage, I have received thoughtful and carefully considered feedback… supervisors are keenly invested in pupils’ development and enthusiastically celebrate pupils’ progress and achievements.” During the first six, pupils can expect to accompany their supervisors, who are “at the peak of their careers”, on trips to Planning Inquiries, the High Court, the Court of Appeal and even the Supreme Court, as well as lower courts and tribunals. In their second six, pupils will be on their feet and representing in court themselves. Decisions as to tenancy are made on the basis of the qualities of individual applicants, as well as whether there is a vacancy for a junior tenant.

Cornerstone recruits through the Pupillage Gateway. After application sifting, 20 candidates are invited to a first-round interview, which is general in nature and lasts around 15 minutes. 10 candidates will then be invited to a more extensive second-round interview, which lasts around 30 minutes and typically involves an advocacy exercise and a case analysis exercise.

Cornerstone Barristers emphasises on its website that it welcomes pupillage applications from everyone and “would particularly encourage candidates to apply from backgrounds that have not traditionally been represented at the Bar”. Indeed, a few years back, alongside Field Court Chambers, Francis Taylor Building, Kings Chambers, and Landmark Chambers — all other specialist Planning, Property and Public Law sets — Cornerstone Barristers launched a mentoring scheme for underrepresented groups at the bar. The scheme is intended to encourage individuals from groups that are not well represented at the bar to consider becoming barristers. Cornerstone also recently joined the 10,000 Black Interns programme “in order to play [their] part in making the Bar a profession of equal representation and opportunity”.

I ended up having a gap between the BPTC and pupillage and worked as a paralegal at the Infected Blood Inquiry. Due to the social distancing restrictions imposed by Covid-19, I took the decision to delay starting my pupillage until things had opened up a bit, and I’m glad I did as it meant I got to go to court more frequently and get introduced to many more members of chambers.

The pupillage experience

Pupillage is well-structured in chambers. I had three supervisors in four-month seats which spanned chambers’ specialist areas of planning and housing. I got to do work relating to lots of interesting cases, often in the context of judicial reviews, statutory appeals or appellate-level cases. Everyone was really friendly and accommodating, and I was struck by the degree to which people were keen to give me their time and wisdom. A normal week involved a substantial piece of written work such as a skeleton, an advice or a summary of facts and grounds, and then a few smaller research tasks or opportunities to shadow barristers to interesting cases, often in the High Court or Court of Appeal.

Cornerstone takes feedback quite seriously and after every piece of work you do for your supervisor, you will get written feedback which you will discuss. The idea is that you know where you stand at all times. The feedback was always constructive and helpful. You do three advocacy exercises throughout the year in planning law, licensing law and housing law respectively. The exercises are not formally assessed and are intended to be a learning exercise.

Throughout pupillage I had the chance to do pieces of written work for members of chambers other than my supervisors, as and when the opportunities arose.

During my second six, I was in court a lot (at least 2-3 times a week). Most of the hearings are relatively straightforward county court matters such as first possession hearings and gas safety injunctions. I had the occasional more unusual cases (sexual entertainment venue licensing sub-committee hearing, anyone?). Mostly, the court work is to build confidence on your feet and to begin to build a junior practice. I still did a lot of work for my supervisors throughout my second six.

We take two pupils every year and in recent years most pupils have been taken on. I know first-hand that there is plenty of work at the junior end!

The transition from pupil to tenant

It is quite daunting to take off the stabilisers and ride into tenancy. In reality, the transition was quite straightforward and members went out of their way to answer my endless questions. People understand that you are new and doing a lot of things for the first time. I felt really encouraged by members and the clerks to try everything and take on different types of challenge. I have been pleasantly surprised by how quickly one can begin to develop close working relationships with clients, and I have always sought feedback from the clerks as to how I might improve from one case to the next. I’ve tried to say yes to pretty much everything, and if ever something has seemed a bit daunting, there’s always been someone willing to talk it through.

What is your practice like now?

I take a very detailed approach to professional development and have a one-year, three-year and five-year plan, which I discuss with the clerks on a regular basis.

My first full year of practice involved a mix of court work (I was involved in a couple of substantial injunction applications which culminated in multi-week trials), advisory work and non-contentious drafting.

I’m now almost 18 months into tenancy, and I have a very busy caseload with a mix of led and unled work. In the past three months, I have been led in the Court of Appeal on two occasions, and in the High Court in an ongoing judicial review matter. I have also been doing a lot of my own advisory and inquiry work in relation to both housing and planning matters.

My working weeks are varied. Some weeks I’ll have a few bits of paperwork and some small hearings (injunction applications, committal hearings etc) or maybe a short trial. Other weeks I’ll be assisting a more senior member of chambers on a more substantial cases by, for example, drafting a skeleton argument or carrying out some research. My practice has taken me all over the country, and it’s worth noting that you can spend a fair bit of time away from home — I’ve probably had around ten weeks where I’ve been staying away from home over the past year.

I try and get involved with the housing and planning team’s marketing activities, either by writing articles or contributing to webinar events. It is a way of building exposure and a good opportunity to work with others in chambers.

I have a reasonable work/life balance. I’m into running and cycling, and I prioritise fitting some exercise in every day. I often do some work on a Sunday evening but that’s a personal choice rather than an obligation, and I find it works for me and means that I can often leave earlier and have proper evenings on weekdays.

What is the culture of chambers?

Chambers is collegiate. At the junior end, we have frequent socials and there are quite a few set-piece chambers events throughout the year. The clerks and staff are great and have solved my issues on countless occasions. People wander into my room all the time and it’s a good opportunity to run a point past them or catch up on their recent war stories. There is always someone around for a coffee or a pint and a chat. Despite some people being about forty years older than me, lots of the senior members are very approachable and I feel I can openly raise any problems I’m having and know it will get sorted. Chambers has modern facilities, with showers, changing rooms and ample storage, which is good for me because I often run or cycle to and from work.

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

My main advice prior to applying for pupillage or doing a mini-pupillage would be to do your research. Most chambers put a lot of material online, and cases are often widely publicised. It’s not that difficult to have a sense of what each place specialises in, and having a good grasp of that goes a long way in showing that you are serious about pursuing a career at the relevant set.

Also, read the criteria against which applications are assessed as published on our website, and make sure your paper application shows how you meet those criteria. Turn up at interview with clear examples of why you would be a great addition to the team. Do your research into what sort of work we do, and what sort of work we don’t do! The website is the place to start, but you will be able to get a sense from the cases that members are involved in.