
A CAREER AT A LAW FIRM
A CAREER AT THE BAR
A CAREER AT THE BAR
A career at the Bar, representing individuals or organisations within a court, is an incredibly exciting and fulfilling career. This said it requires more than just an undergraduate degree.
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The following explains the different routes to becoming a barrister through the academic, vocational, and work-based/pupillage stages involved.
01.
Academic Stage
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Although having an undergraduate law degree is helpful for a career at the Bar, it is not a requirement. Individuals who have completed non-law undergraduate degrees can still pursue a career at the Bar after completing a Law Conversion Course. This is called a Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) which you can read more about here:
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https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/job-sectors/law-sector/law-conversion-courses
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https://www.thelawyerportal.com/study-law/gdl/gdl-course-comparison-table/
Every GDL or law undergraduate degree must include the seven foundations of legal knowledge and skills associated with graduate legal work. These are:
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Contract
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Tort
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European Union Law
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Land
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Criminal
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Public
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Equity and Trusts
Regardless of undergraduate degree, you must achieve a 2:2 classification (at minimum) in all of these modules before progressing to the vocational stage.
02.
Vocational
Stage
Before you begin your vocational training, you must have joined an Inn of Court. There are four different Inns, listed below, and your membership to your chosen Inn is for life.
Gray’s Inn, Lincoln’s Inn, Middle Temple, Inner Temple.
After joining an Inn, one must pass the Bar Course Aptitude Test (BCAT) before beginning their vocational Bar training course.
This vocational course teaches you the specialist skills and knowledge of procedure and evidence needed to become a Barrister. It is also supplemented by twelve qualifying sessions put on by the Inns of Court that students must complete.
You can read more about these here: https://www.lawcareers.net/Explore/LCNSays/Twelve-dinners-no-more-what-to-expect-from-your-Inns-qualifying-sessionshttps://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/training-qualification/bar-qualification-manual-new.html?part=5FA410D0-C627-4441-9DC9288B3AA3EE00&q=
The vocational stage does not look the same for everyone, as there are numerous ways to complete it.
These include;A one-part course. This can be either full-time over a year, or part-time over a longer period of time. An integrated course as part of an academic qualification, e.g. LLM.A two-part course. This could have a hybrid nature of both face-to-face teaching and self-study. A longer course that combines the vocational aspect with an undergraduate law degree (these are provided by limited universities).
Regardless of how the vocational stage is completed, it must be passed. After passing you will be ‘Called to the Bar’ by your Inn of Court which enables you to begin the work-based stage of qualifying.
03.
Pupillage​
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To be able to practice as a Barrister one must complete a pupillage. This is work-based training under the supervision of a barrister and is very competitive. Most pupillage placements are advertised on the Pupillage Gateway: https://www.pupillagegateway.com/
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When applying for Pupillage most Chambers look for similar characteristics. These include:
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Passion for a career at the Bar
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Oral and written advocacy experience. You can read more about this here: (insert link to the other article I’m going to do)
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Time-management
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Work experience – especially mini-pupillages
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Analytical ability
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Commitment to hard work
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The academic, vocational, and work-based stages of becoming a Barrister are notoriously tough. This said, with enough drive and passion, a career at the Bar is an incredibly respected and successful career and one worth committing to.