Barrister's clerk
A barrister's clerk is responsible for running the administration and business activities of a barrister's chambers. The role is integral to the success of a set of chambers, both as a legal practice and as a business. Barristers' clerks must be familiar with court procedures and etiquette and they also develop an expertise in the type of law undertaken by their chambers.
This demanding but rewarding role requires a combination of commercial acumen, legal knowledge and strong interpersonal skills. The term 'clerk' is historical and does not accurately reflect the level of responsibility, coordination of workload, marketing and financial management undertaken. As a result, clerks in some chambers may have other job titles, such as practice assistant or assistant practice manager.
In Scotland, the equivalent role is advocate's clerk.
The role is very varied and can range from basic clerical work to complicated fee negotiation. Key areas of activity cover:
For a junior barrister's clerk in particular, duties may include:
Other typical activities vary according to the level at which you are working, but may involve:
A degree is not necessary for entry and the majority of new entrants will have GCSEs (a minimum of four GCSE pass grades at A - C) or A-levels. Relevant experience is advantageous and can include business or legal work, or court administration. Individual chambers operate their own work experience schemes.
Candidates will need to show evidence of the following:
You should be physically able to carry books, robes and documents.
Initial entry is likely to be at junior clerk level and it will take some time to build up the skills and knowledge required to progress to deputy senior or senior clerk.
For more information, see work experience and internships and search courses and research.
Training is very much on the job, learning by working with an experienced clerk. Employing chambers will often provide practical training and may support further training through relevant organisations such as the Institute of Business Consulting (IBC) .
The IBC offers the one-year BTEC Advanced Award in Chambers Administration for Barristers' Clerks . This professional qualification is aimed at those with up to five years' experience and certifies competence as a junior clerk. The course, mainly delivered through distance learning, comprises four units:
Employing chambers may also use Chambers People , a specialist recruitment agency, to provide training sessions to their clerks.
With experience, clerks will develop knowledge and expertise in the specific areas of law undertaken by their chambers, for example criminal, commercial, property, family, employment or pensions law.
It is important for barristers’ clerks to keep up to date with current legal issues, as well as market changes and administration issues. The IBC offers a range of topical seminars and an annual conference.
Membership of the IBC is open to all barristers’ clerks and is useful for networking and career development. Those with five years' work in chambers and the BTEC can apply for qualified membership. Graduates are not required to take the BTEC course in order to become qualified members, but must have three years’ service in chambers.
The majority of entrants start work as a junior clerk, typically followed by promotion to first junior clerk. There are opportunities in larger chambers to work as a deputy senior clerk prior to becoming senior clerk. At a senior level, you may work as a fees clerk, with responsibility for handling and collecting barristers' fees. Within the profession, progression will eventually lead to the post of senior clerk, practice manager/director, chambers manager or even chief executive, leading a team of barristers’ clerks within the chambers.
The profession is made up of relatively small numbers so it may be necessary to move to different chambers for promotion. The best opportunities for progression and high earnings are in London, where there are more sets of chambers, but a successful career can be built elsewhere.
The profession has so few members that senior positions are likely to be filled as the result of direct approaches from chambers. Those who reach the level of senior clerk generally stay with the same chambers for the rest of their career.
Being a barrister's clerk does not offer a shortened route to becoming a solicitor or barrister, although the experience and knowledge gained while working in a set of barristers’ chambers would be very useful and relevant for a legal career.
Barristers' clerks work for a set of barristers' chambers, most of which are located in London and other major cities, such as Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester. There are a few firms now offering online clerking services to barristers who work from home and these may be based anywhere in the country.
A barristers' chambers is generally run as a trade association, with a constitution and an arrangement for each barrister to pay a sum towards the running costs of chambers, including the salaries of the barristers' clerks. Some chambers have formed a management company and delegate the running of the chambers to a management committee, to which the senior clerk would be responsible.
In Scotland, the equivalent position to a barrister's clerk is an advocate's clerk, working for advocates in a ‘stable’ or chamber and most are employed by Faculty Services Ltd, which is a division of the Faculty of Advocates in Edinburgh. Although the duties are broadly similar, the role does not involve proactively seeking work.
The majority of vacancies are in London, so if you wish to work outside London, you should make speculative approaches to chambers directly.
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