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In previous years the bulk of bar experience would be derived from a mini-pupillage. However, the lasting effects of COVID-19 have seen a decrease in the availability of places for aspiring barristers. The good news is that multiple chambers have confirmed that they value alternative experiences in the absence of a mini-pupillage. It is therefore essential to gain experience through alternative avenues.
Pre-COVID, court visits presented an easily accessible experience that could be used to build an understanding of the profession and draw from during various applications and interviews.
While the reduction of court appearances and visitor allowances means there are less opportunities for physical visits, technological advances ensure the experience is still attainable. A large proportion of court proceedings are available online, giving you the chance to develop legal knowledge of both barrister tactics and court proceedings from the comfort of your own home.
While many schools and universities provide an array of events intended to develop legal knowledge outside the (virtual) classroom, which should not be overlooked, it’s important to build a repertoire of external advice as well.
The virtual aspect of these various webinars has multiple advantages: firstly, where access to these events may have previously been capped, there is more space and no travel restrictions, allowing largely unfettered access. Secondly, the webinar setting has highly increased the ability for different organisations and educational institutions to expand their number of events, providing a greater learning opportunity for aspiring barristers.
Take a look at our webinars and follow us on Instagram to learn about other free events happening.
Experience in mooting is invaluable for a multitude of reasons. The set-up provides a glimpse of courtroom etiquette and what is expected from barristers. Understanding that will provide foundational knowledge you can use during a pupillage, and further, the call to the Bar.
Mooting provides the opportunity to develop oral advocacy training, a skill that will be essential for a career at the bar and therefore essential for any successful bar-related application. And because mooting is assessed, it provides reputable evidence of your development of oral advocacy that can, as a result, be demonstrated in applications.
It’s also a convincing way to demonstrate your interest in the profession and an aptitude for the skills necessary.
You can usually get involved with mooting and debating through your university, otherwise various public mooting opportunities are available for individuals.
Volunteering in your university clinic or for pro-bono organisations such as the Free Representation Unit or Citizens Advice Bureau is invaluable experience. Not only does this experience demonstrate a wider interest in law, but it also supports the development of skills necessary for success at the Bar.
Developing client relationships, as a result of the self-employed nature of the profession, is the basis of a career at the Bar, and taking client interviews allows its practice within a forgiving environment. The experience also develops an understanding of the process of giving legal advice and the research required to do so, invaluable for any career at law.
Judge marshalling gives students the opportunity to shadow a judge, allowing you to experience the court from a ‘bird’s eye view’ and gain an understanding of how a court runs, not to mention receive advice from the top of the legal profession.
Each of these examples of relevant experience demonstrates the same thing: it’s not the specific experience that makes an application stand out, but the value gained from each experience and how it is applicable to a career at the Bar. Professionals at the Bar will all say that nobody is looking for a ‘full-grown’ barrister but rather someone who has the values that will make a successful barrister: determination, motivation and integrity.
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