Join top barristers and experts from law schools and the Inns of Court this Thursday at 7pm
It’s spring, the season of re-birth, hope and pupillage applications.
On April 1, while the rest of the legal world was chortling along at the April Fool that former One Direction man Zayn Malik was headed to the bar, the nation’s real-life wannabe barristers were grimly contemplating the opening of the Pupillage Gateway.
The centralised application website — through which many top chambers operate — is now live for applications until 11am on 30 April. Meanwhile, a host of other leading sets which don’t use the Gateway operate largely according to its timetable, also closing their applications around the end of this month.
If you have a double starred first from Oxbridge, the process of landing an interview tends to be straightforward. But for everyone else it’s extremely competitive. As such the fate of applicants often turns on the quality of their answers to classic questions such as ‘Why do you wish to become a barrister?’, ‘What areas of practice are you interested in and why?’ and ‘Give reasons for your choice of chambers’.
Happily, this Thursday at 7pm a host of top barristers and experts from law schools and the Inns of Court will be gathering on Twitter under the hashtag #PupillageApps to explain how it’s done.
Are you full of passion for the bar but unsure how to articulate this persuasively in writing?
Do you have brilliant advocacy ability but rubbish grades and want to find a route to interview?
Have you got a 2:1 from a Russell Group Uni like so many other wannabe barristers and need ideas about how to stand out?
Are you a gap year-loving trustafarian/working class exemplar of social mobility who is unsure how to present themselves to chambers?
Or are you just generally unsure about how to approach pupillage application forms, and want to find a way to maximise your chances?
Join us on Thursday evening from 7-8pm on Twitter, tweeting your questions using the #PupillageApps hashtag. The session is open to all law students, barristers and indeed other lawyers who also fancy chipping in with advice.
In the meantime, for all the key facts and figures about the leading chambers, check out the Legal Cheek Top 30 Chambers Most List.