The Legal Cheek View
Meet Gough Square Chambers at Legal Cheek’s upcoming Virtual Pupillage Fair!
An expert in all things consumer law and finance, Gough Square is a highly specialised set with one of the biggest pupillage awards in the market. Offering a whopping £100,000 between direct payments and guaranteed earnings in the second six, recruits can expect to be trained well, worked hard, and invested in from day one. On the smaller side with just 29 juniors and three KCs, the set is only looking to take on up to one pupil.
This rookie will, however, get the full attention that chambers can offer. “I had three pupil supervisors who were all highly invested in my development,” reports one junior, noting that “two of them still lead me in cases today.” “All my supervisors had different specialisms, so I was exposed to all of chambers’ work”, adds another happy tenant, with a further recruit reporting that “my practising second six was invaluable, with lots of instructions from clients who still instruct me now.” Those joining the set can expect a “good balance of supervisor-led and pupil-led projects” as well as “a good variety of assessed and un-assessed tasks,” according to our insiders. Tasks are “done with all members of chambers, not just supervisors” so you’ll benefit from “a variety of styles and feedback”. Beyond this, “chambers also provide regular training to clients, and all are welcome to attend thus helping to increase their knowledge base.” Impressive stuff!
The investment doesn’t stop there, however. Tenants at the set, whether supervisors or not, are willing and able to continually help rookies’ development, we hear. “If the chambers succeeds, we all succeed!”, seems to be the consensus, with one sentimental member sharing that they “could not ask for a more supportive team — barristers and clerks. Always available to help with queries and always very generous with their time”. Indeed support comes from all directions, with “everyone willing to lend an ear or a hand when they can”. Whether it’s the members who are “always available at the end of the phone or in chambers”, the doors that are “kept open”, or the weekly members’ lunches “which always provides an opportunity to ask questions”, juniors confirm that there is “a genuine sense of camaraderie” at the set”, where “individual successes are always celebrated.”
This collaborative structure means that knowledge is shared around chambers informally, with everyone at the set “willing to discuss thorny legal problems!” This extends beyond just work, however, with “all members of chambers ready and willing to assist others with work-related and non-work-related issues. There is always someone to turn to if you need support,” we are told.
All of this preparation, training, and support seems very necessary when you consider the quantity and quality of work that tenants are involved with. “Members are in the privileged position of operating from a specialist set but working in litigation across the civil and criminal jurisdictions. This means that the work is very varied and by virtue of being true specialists, always at the cutting edge of legal developments within our specialisms. One day I might be working on a high value financial services dispute, and another on advising government agencies on prosecuting a rogue trader.” Another happy member simply notes that “the work I do is varied and interesting”, and that “chambers has been instrumental in increasing my practice.”
We are told that work contains “a good mix of criminal, civil and regulatory consumer law, including food law”. You can expect “good court work and paperwork (advices, letters, pleadings)”, according to one member. As expected, the work is also “intellectually challenging” and there’s high admiration for the resident clerks who we’re told are “very good at sourcing and allocating a variety of matters that will be beneficial for a junior developing a career at the bar”.
Personally, we can’t think of a better way to describe the work that tenants at Gough Square are getting up to. Whilst appearances in appellate courts are a regular occurrence, prospective pupils will be interested to hear about the sets work on BA Cityflyer Limited v Lipton, a Supreme Court case on air passenger rights and post-brexit application of EU law. Demonstrating the range of chambers’ work, juniors have also represented both sides of a dispute in the First-Tier Tribunal (General Regulatory Chamber) over whether honey can be marketed as “raw” within the Honey (England) Regulations 2015. How interesting!
It’s not all work here though, tenants do have a (very enjoyable looking) life too: “There are always impromptu trips to the pub or out for lunch. Members go for runs together and practice yoga. Personal life events are frequently celebrated with the whole of chambers often invited to wedding celebrations and birthday parties.” One senior member adds, “meeting colleagues in a social environment is a key feature of chamber’s life. It helps forge bonds with colleagues who, because of the nature of the bar, are not always in chambers”. We even hear rumours of annual trips within chambers, including an annual conference in Puglia, which is said to “provide the perfect opportunity to socialise and learn from each other.”
Not all of the fun happens in chambers though. “Members are encouraged to have a life out of work and the clerks are always keen to facilitate life outside of work where possible” chimes one insider, another noting that the “clerks are always willing to assist to help achieve a work-life balance. Members of chambers are all aware of the need to maintain a work-life balance and none place pressure on others to work excessively.” When asked about their own balancing act, one junior did admit feeling a lack of “any active promotion of the ‘life’ part of the equation”, before confirming that “members are receptive to people taking time away from work when they need to and for whatever reason”, with time away from court or papers “never an issue”. What’s more, one insider spills that they have “not experienced any question or judgment when taking short or long periods away from work. There are no complaints about members being too busy or not busy enough. There are no complaints about members being unavailable because they are not working.” Sounds pretty good to us.
To strike this balance, however, rookies will need to drag themselves away from the chambers.. One junior notes how the set’s HQ “shares Gough Square’s charm and refinement”. Others rave about the “beautiful red brick building”, and the recent renovations — which have “significantly improved the work environment and the facilities for colleagues and clients” (with more to come). Situated in historic Gough Square, the home of Dr Johnson, famous 18th century poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer, “chambers is a small building but tastefully maintained and decorated to a high standard. The facade of chambers is imposing and in keeping with the area.”
As for the tech and IT offering at the set, juniors again have nothing to complain about. We’ve had reports of chambers being “responsive and helpful”, with the online libraries described as “very useful” and “very user-friendly”. Word on the street is that the set has also “recently switched to a top provider”, exciting stuff.
For those roused to throw their hat into the ring for the coveted single pupillage spot, you can find the set on Pupillage Gateway. Applications consist of two rounds of interviews in front of a diverse panel of members, with candidates typically encountering up to eight members across the two panels. These interviews, and the paper application stage, assess candidates on six criteria: Intellectual Ability, Advocacy, Analytical ability, Interpersonal skills and temperament, Initiative, and Interest in and suitability for consumer and regulatory law.
During pupillage, the lucky recruit will have an initial induction and informal reception followed by monthly reviews during the non-practising six. This will be complemented by meetings with the head of pupillage. Prior to launching into practice, the rookie will undertake a formal oral advocacy assessment in chambers and will then continue to have regular reviews during their practice period with their supervisor, head of pupillage, and the senior clerk.