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Barrister: James

This Case Study belongs to Barrister.

After graduating with a law degree from Durham University, James went on to do the Bar Vocational Course at City University in London. He chose to become a barrister because the court work, advocacy, research and advisory work suited him much more than the work of a solicitor, which involves sending letters back and forwards and doing a lot of the day-to-day management of the case. Barristers have the advantage of going forward and taking the case when it becomes highly contentious, and it is at the court stage that James believes it gets interesting. It isn’t for everyone: if you like working under pressure and if you like things happening at the last minute and having to deal with the situation, then it’s for you. If you like your life ordered, this is perhaps not for you. Having to deal with things at short notice and under pressure happens to suit James’s personality and that is really crucial.

One of the challenges James finds is that solicitors seem to be having increasing rights of audience and this is making an impact. He has seen a shift of work away from the bar, but barristers are not able, in return, to do the work of solicitors (although this is being considered). James specialises in criminal and family law, which offers him the chance to spend a good deal of time in court, and this is the aspect which gives him a real adrenaline buzz, especially when he wins!

James applied through the Online Pupillages Application Scheme (OLPAS) (see Pupillages.com ) for his pupillage and advises that when applying, you should be clear about the area of law you are interested in and apply for pupillages that cover it. James was particularly interested in family law, and focused his OLPAS application in this direction and at chambers that offered this area of practice, and he was successful in being offered a pupillage.

James advises students interested in a career as a barrister to gain as much experience as possible of life as a barrister in chambers, and see what the career actually involves. Another way of testing whether this is the route for you would be to get involved in debating and public speaking activities at university, or mooting competitions organised by the law society. James believes a lot of people’s perceptions of the profession are wrong. It is a tough job and you are on your own. As a tenant at Clarenden Chambers, James is self-employed and has to pay chambers rent and manage his finances on top of doing his work. Prospective clients hire individual barristers on the basis of their reputation, which takes a while to build up.

James’s day-to-day activities as a family and criminal barrister are mostly spent in court, which often includes a certain amount of local travel. Court work involves court hearings and trials, which may last a day or more. He is also often required to give written opinions. Being a member of chambers gives James the opportunity to use the facilities, such as the library.

James currently has a broad practice base as a tenant of Clarenden Chambers, but does not plan to continue with criminal law as it is not sustainable for him. He is on secondment to Sutton where he does a lot of child protection and adult social care law. He finds it very interesting to represent people who lack the mental capacity to represent themselves in court and James sees himself moving on into public law.

Case Study sourced by Jonathan Bainbridge of Thames Valley University, 26 January 2009.