Barrister
Barristers (in England and Wales) are specialists in advocacy, and represent individuals or organisations in court. They are independent sources of legal advice and can advise clients on their case. Generally, they are hired by solicitors to represent a case in court and only become involved once advocacy before a court is needed. They plead the case on behalf of the client and the client’s solicitor.
Barristers usually specialise in particular areas of law such as criminal law, chancery law (estates and trusts), commercial law, and common law, which includes family, housing and personal injury law.
Most barristers work on a self-employed basis, while others work in government departments or agencies such as the Crown Prosecution Service and the government legal service. An increasing number of employed barristers work in private and public organisations, such as charities.
Self-employed barristers work in offices called chambers, and may have their own office or share one with other barristers.
In Scotland, advocates have a comparable role and have rights of audience in all Scottish courts.
Barristers are generally involved in the following range of work activities:
The area of a barrister's practice will largely determine the balance and emphasis of these activities. For example:
Employed barristers undertake similar activities for one company or client. At more senior levels, they may also become involved with the development of legal policy and strategy.
Barristers also contribute to the collective running and management of chambers, particularly with respect to the recruitment of pupils and other tenants.
A career as a barrister is open to graduates in any subject, though non-law graduates have to undertake a law conversion course before they can start professional training. Entry onto the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) is fiercely competitive and a good degree (at least a 2:1) is almost essential, often in law or another traditional academic subject. It is occasionally possible to gain a place with an HND, but entry is not possible with a foundation degree only.
Entrants to the BPTC who do not have a qualifying law degree must take a law conversion course - the Common Professional Examination (CPE) or Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) - before applying.
Apply for the CPE/GDL by February prior to entry. These courses take one year full time or two years by part-time study or distance learning. The CPE/GDL is offered at many institutions across the country and, in addition to the seven foundation subjects, students learn legal method and research skills, the English legal system and an additional specialist legal topic.
Full details of the BPTC (entry, curriculum, assessment and course providers) are available from the Bar Standards Board (BSB) . Applications for the BPTC must be made through a centralised clearing system (see BPTC Online ) by early January prior to entry. In addition to academic qualifications, applicants are required to take an aptitude test. One-year full-time and two-year part-time courses are available. The BPTC focuses on skills training, although six areas of legal knowledge are covered, which form a significant part of the year's work.
A limited number of scholarships to fund the CPE and BPTC are available from the Inns of Court. Details of funding and all other aspects of studying to become a barrister are available from The Bar Council .
After the BPTC, intending barristers must complete a pupillage in order to practise. You should apply for a pupillage before starting the BPTC via the Pupillage Portal . This allows applicants to apply to up to 12 chambers as well as make one 'clearing application'. The deadline to apply is the end of April and full details are available on the website. Competition is very strong, in terms of both academic standards and personal qualities, with an average of over three applicants for every two places, so it is important to apply in the first round. The National Pupillage Fair (held annually in March) offers an opportunity to find out more.
By the end of May prior to starting the BPTC, it is also necessary to join one of the four Inns of Court: (Lincoln's Inn , Middle Temple , Gray's Inn or Inner Temple ). The Inns provide educational and social support for barristers and student barristers, including libraries, dining halls and common rooms. The choice of Inn does not affect the areas of legal practice open to you, or the choice of chambers for pupillage or tenancy applications, but if you have received a scholarship, you will be required to join the Inn that provided it. The student officer at each Inn will supply more information.
Candidates will need to show evidence of:
Relevant work experience is desirable and becoming increasingly essential. Any legal experience is useful but a mini-pupillage - a period of work experience and shadowing with a set of chambers - is regarded highly by recruiters. Apply speculatively for mini-pupillages and find out about funding and scholarships during your second undergraduate year. Criminal records must be disclosed and may exclude some applicants.
For more information, see work experience and internships and search courses and research.
Currently, new barristers must spend at least 12 months in pupillage, usually split into two six-month periods (called sixes) with the same or different chambers. All pupils are assigned a supervisor, who oversees and organises the training and work. Your first 'six' will involve observing and assisting your supervisor and other barristers from chambers. On satisfactory completion of your first six, The Bar Council will issue you with a provisional practising certificate and, in the second six, you will take responsibility for cases of your own. Due to intense competition, third sixes, undertaken by those who fail to become tenants at the first attempt, are becoming increasingly common.
The Bar Council has approved a route to train at the employed Bar. A number of organisations have been approved to offer full pupillage training as a route to qualification (see the Bar Standards Board (BSB) website for more details).
In order to keep abreast of changes in the law and to polish their skills, newly qualified barristers are required to complete 45 hours of continuing professional development (CPD), including at least nine hours of advocacy training and three hours of ethics during their first three years of practice. After that, they must undertake 12 hours of CPD every year. Details of accredited courses are available from the Bar Standards Board.
Upon completion of pupillage, you can apply for tenancy and become a junior barrister in chambers. The cases you deal with will become increasingly serious and complex. Challenges to career development for self-employed barristers at this stage may include limited finances, long hours required to cover cases, and the need to manage your own workload. Because of this, career development and financial stability is very much dependent on your cases, your approach to your work and your ability to successfully build up a practice and reputation. Further career development involves honing and updating your skills. For many barristers, the eventual aim is to 'take silk' and become a Queen's Counsel (QC). This involves leading in very serious cases or entering the judiciary as an assistant recorder prior to becoming a judge.
Alternatively, barristers may choose to practise at the employed Bar and apply for positions with in-house legal services departments in commercial companies or public sector organisations. There is a growing number of opportunities in publicly funded work. Career progression may involve heading up such a team or moving into the higher levels of general management.
Getting involved with professional bodies and groups such as the Young Barristers Committee, part of The Bar Council , from an early stage can help to raise your profile and develop your professional skills. Career development requires a creative approach to career opportunities and the ability to think laterally - success may depend on choosing a specialist area in which you can develop a reputation.
The majority of barristers are self-employed and typically become tenants in a set of chambers. They are independent practitioners gaining work through the offices of the clerk to chambers or through personal contacts with solicitors. Their clients are primarily solicitors.
Over 12,000 barristers work in England and Wales. Around one quarter of all barristers in practice are those working in employed practice. They work for a wide range of employers and organisations including:
Barristers are also employed on a non-practising basis within industry and commerce, as well as in solicitors' firms (in which they must make it clear that they are non-practising).
Recruitment agencies rarely handle vacancies.
All sets of chambers who recruit must now advertise on the Pupillage Portal , which provides a common application form and timetable for recruiters wanting to participate in this scheme. Currently around 40% of pupillages are filled through this scheme and approximately 560 pupillage vacancies are available annually.
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