In reality, prepare for the unexpected is fairly useless advice; the best antidote for this kind of stuff is experience. Some chambers interview panels ask some really awkward questions. There obviously isnt one solution to this kind of question: the real issue is your mind going blank (Im quite sure mine would). Well the Pupillage gateway website has opened for viewing. Instead, you will be expected to present a logical, well-presented and well-structured argument to address a hotly debated topic relating to law. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Watch Rebecca, Shanthi, Max and Colm, all recent ULaw BPTC students with pupillage, under. Pupillage interview preparation. Even though I am now actually a Trainee Solicitor at Clifford Chance, I am a huge believer in making the legal profession accessible for all (be it for aspiring barristers or aspiring solicitors). Stuart Withers on Twitter: "Some pupillage interview feedback. 1 If you did that, it would actually be a point against you because we are interested in the analysis of the principles and not how many cases you know. Applying for pupillage has dominated my Januarys and Februarys for the past two years and I wanted to share one incredibly frustrating experience I have had following the latest round of applications/interviews. Think of something non-legal (to demonstrate your glorious diversity) on which you have personal experience or strongly-held views, and have it wrapped up and ready to fire in the event it is called upon. Its important to prepare questions for the chambers with which you are interviewing. At the end of the interview, you may be asked if you have any questions. Be conscious of any mistakes, umms or ahs. Bewigged and Bewilderedby Adam Kramer QC includes a lot of extremely helpful information, including as to what the various practice areas involve. Your substantive legal knowledge is not being tested (legal materials are usually provided) hence you cannot prepare for the exercise in a formal sense. Its important to be prepared for your pupillage interview. When the Pupillage Gateway slams shut and chambers began reading the mass of application forms electronically thrust before them in a bid to sift, sort and filter into a carefully selected list of the chosen few who they want to meet in person. A chambers interview panel may ask this question to get an understanding of your views on the Bar and what the future holds for the legal profession. Aspiring barrister uses GDPR regs to secure pupillage interview feedback They are usually unpleasant experiences (I hated them!) Chambers websites, and the individual barristers pages on those websites, are good, but online directories will give you an idea which areas those chambers really have their reputation in. 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However, as is so often pointed out, resilience is key and rejections are a natural part of such a competitive process, so, its something you have to try and get used to. Go with the flow. Be familiar with the areas of law that the set practises in and rehearse how to advocate your case for how its work ties in with your own interests and skills. Can you deal with difficult questions from the panel? As part of your pupillage interview, you could be asked the following: Being a barrister often requires you to think on your feet and under pressure without support. As a result, chambers can be highly individualistic. First. But it shouldnt be beyond your wit to come up with a couple, just to keep the conversation flowing. The ability to think on your feet and cope under pressure. How to approach pupillage interviews. They know what they do. But dont be arrogant, and dont bullshit to try to preserve the illusion of confidence interviewers are likely to see through that so if you dont know, say so. First rounds tend to be shorter in duration: you may be asked something based on your pupillage application (so make sure you know it inside out) and/or given a proposition to debate. Essential! So, for every single pupillage interview you have, really think about who is on the receiving end and prepare with that in mind. Prepare for this by thinking about how barristers you may have seen in mini-pupillages did this, and what you would change about that. In other words, you are not expected to identify ten points and read off the leading Supreme Court cases about those points. Debate-related pupillage interview questions are more difficult to prepare for, but you wont be expected to solve a specific problem in two minutes. They want to know you are interested in their work. Keep up to date with the legal news and changes affecting the areas in which you intend to specialise. Tip 2: Play the game and give the Sets you are interviewing at what they want. P - Practise It is very different to have thought about your answers and even to have them written down but it can feel very different when you say them out aloud. The application process begins with a two-day mini pupillage (or if necessary a virtual mini pupillage of one and a half days). Temperament/personality: the ability to remain calm, objective and confident while working under pressure with complex or unfamiliar material. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. If you're about to complete your law degree and want to apply . Its important to know your CV inside-out and to be prepared to demonstrate hard evidence of how your skills can add value to the chambers you are interviewing with. The cookie is set by the email marketing service MailChimp. 10 Examples Of Interview Feedback You Can Use. Instead, try to ask engaging questions that elicit information that is not readily available but which is important to you. This is a really loaded question, but one you may have to answer. Dont see it as something to be feared see it as a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate to the Panel that you have the necessary skills and ability to do the job. Tip 1: Thoroughly research the Set you have applied to. The post Aspiring barrister uses GDPR regs to secure pupillage interview feedback appeared first on Legal Cheek. 'I have my first pupillage interview. Any advice?' - Legal Cheek P - Passion When you are in an interview and you meet someone who is genuinely interested and engaged, it makes such a big difference. Should attempted suicide be criminalised. To give you another illustration, we always say "our problems are not a test of your legal knowledge". This is a analytic and behavioural cookie used for improving the visitor experience on the website. Hold on to your good points tenaciously; concede your bad points gracefully. Even if its something as simple as, Roughly how long does it take for your junior tenants to start appearing regularly in the Crown Court? If you really cant think of a good question, dont ask a bad one. Others will have friends or family in chambers, or relatives in the judiciary. Read the Bar Code of Conduct, in the BSB Handbook, available from the BSB. Why then make it so hard to become a barrister? Here is a short list of competencies for the Bar: Getting into the Bar requires resilience, adaptability and determination. When you spend countless hours writing and reviewing applications, preparing for interviews, and then waiting anxiously to hear back from chambers, I feel that providing feedback to candidates that are unsuccessful at interview (particularly a second-round interview), should be a minimum requirement. With a twitter and LinkedIn profile, you can see what people are doing in their professional and personal life. They want you to give the right answer and to respond well to their questions. Ask for feedback from unsuccessful interviews, and use anything constructive, but dont let a run of rejections cause you to lose heart. But the same basic social rules apply in both circumstances make eye contact by looking into your webcam when answering questions and take note of everyones names so that you can speak to them individually throughout the different stages of the interview. It does not store any personal data. All it takes to break a losing streak is just one lucky win. Tip 5: Treat applying to the Bar as if it is a case. To prepare for your interview, you are strongly advised to do the following: It is common for sets of chambers to give you a legal problem to present or a topic to discuss at interview. Use the information you get to relate it to your own skills and experience, so that answers you give (a) are informed and credible and (b) provide evidence you personally meet their selection criteria. SA'AD'S TOP TIPS INCLUDE: Tip 1: If you get through the pupillage application stage and you are now preparing for a pupillage interview, well done. Don't squander a pupillage interview to test out your interview skills. One set referred to this as "sparkle". And think about the type of client you are advising just a solicitor or an experienced company director, or an ordinary person who will need legal terms explaining. However, as long as you prepare properly for a pupillage interview, there's always a chance that you're the lucky applicant. Constructive feedback makes people feel like their time and effort have been valued and goes a long way to softening the blow of an otherwise harsh rejection email. None, Im afraid, will stand you out in the memory of the panel. When people make an effort to understand what the Sets they are interviewing at actually specialise in, they are the ones that really stand out. When it makes a good story. This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. If you keep on trying, you will get there. Hopefully there arent many chambers asking this sort of thing anymore. Tip 4: As difficult as it is, do not care about the outcome. What was good, what was bad? This is intended to assess how you perform under pressure. I was so bad because I thought I had the answers in my head, but I had not practised getting them out. Everyone has bad days. . This cookie is set by Youtube. To describe a time you had to act on your own initiative, draw on your experiences to clearly demonstrate the problem or challenge you faced, how you overcame it and the result of your actions. I feel strongly that the profession needs to change the way it operates and recruits because of the young talent it ultimately passes by, and I feel that making personalised feedback mandatory for candidates who have secured an interview, would be one very small way of changing it for the better. There are a million variables that may influence your chances in any given interview. You'll need to be able to back up what you say about yourself with evidence from your work . To this end, I wrote to a few silks, other established practitioners and some juniors at the Bar to see if we could collaborate on an article regarding pupillage interviews. Perceptions change in practice. BTC graduate and aspiring barrister Kieran Alker recounts his frustrating experience and suggests a way to improve the process. Some questions you could be asked include: This question is asked to assess your advocacy skills and your ability to present a reasoned, logical, compelling and well-structured argument. This question is an opportunity to demonstrate that you are a team player. Application. But there will almost always be a tangential diversion into matters of non-law, often preceded by a vicious, Tell us more about yourself. But from my understanding, and certainly in our set, it is much more common to have a structured problem-based interview than it is to have a general interview that asks questions about an interviewee's interests etc. This is also not taking into account the fact that the vast majority of applicants will have spent many hours applying for, and then working in jobs which they feel will make their pupillage applications stronger, i.e. But dont be overawed by the invitation to discuss yourself in front of members of chambers who are only there because they have to do their turn at interviewing. As someone who has been applying for pupillage for over four years, made over 70 applications, and interviewed over nearly 30 times, point #10 is by far the point that resonates with me the most. Tip 1: If you get through the pupillage application stage and you are now preparing for a pupillage interview, well done. You will then forget everything you went through before. . There is no way I would have gotten silk because I simply had not set the memory track between my brain and my tongue to let the words come out with the ease with which I had them in my head. It seems to me that you write a good deal about the lack of resources in the court system, including the lack of trained personnel. Also be aware of industry-specific issues that are of no interest to anybody outside the Bar, but of enormous importance inside our bubble. The right answer to this question (at least if I am interviewing) is to show you understand what work junior tenants at the chambers do (probably not something you can find out from the website go to chambers events/law fairs etc and ask) and explain convincingly why this kind of work interests you. If youre seduced by the idea of parading about in a wig, bands and a gown, grow up. 'The bar must do better at giving pupillage applicants feedback' Be careful with what you put out there. If an application is rejected, ask for feedback. Used by Microsoft as a unique identifier. Barristers in chambers often work as a collective to solve problems. As an advocate, your very purpose is to convince the Court that you have the better case; an interview is no different. Practise with a friend. Your response to some questions will be deliberately challenged by the interview panel. This is the linkhttps://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/barrister-insiders-guide. When watching the case, do not look at what the senior members of chambers are doing alone, look at what the juniors are doing. Id only add that for most applicants its intimidating being interviewed by barristers. Good advice. 30 pupillage interview questions (plus example answers) When you're done with your law degree and want to become a barrister or advocate, the next stage is often a pupillage. Points are awarded for accuracy, not speed. The Pupillage Interview/Acceptance/Rejection Thread 2023 Watch You can accept or reject cookies which are not essential for the site to work by clicking on the Cookie settings below. Think about whether you could be them in a few years and what type of cases they are doing. Chambers will be looking for evidence of these qualities throughout the interview both in what you say and the way you say it. Tip 5: You will be nervous (if you are human), but try to relax and be normal, without being matey or inappropriately informal. Im a commercial chancery barrister who has done first round pupillage interviews in the past, and while I agree with much of this, I have a different perspective on a few points. Top tips for pupillage interviews from a current pupil Draw up a list of likely topics and think about your arguments in advance. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. It seems that it is equally applicable to pupillage interviews. If you fabricate, we will find you out. The deadlines for mini-pupillage applications are the end of December and June each year. Ask for feedback and compare your notes to the feedback you're given by the interviewer. Two stages for the interview process: 1) Written test - Choose one question from three legal questions and answer it in essay format - Answer must be sent via email within 30 minutes of receiving it 2) Virtual interview - Two interviewers who are partners at the firm . You have got to be curious. Answer honestly, the question is not designed to catch you out, but your answer should demonstrate humility. We use cookies to provide you with a better online experience, to tailor advertising based on your browsing, and for statistics and measurements purposes. In addition to pupillage questions, you may be asked to undertake practical exercises as part of your pupillage interview process. Another thing to keep in mind is that oral advocacy and written advocacy are very different. We will suss you out if you are giving out an example you cannot justify. Now you need to prepare. Although you are being interviewed, you are also interviewing. A crucial element of the preparation for an interview is having the right mindset. I do not mean you shouldn't prepare for the interview and give it your best, but the outcome is out of your control. Do not come up to a Set which you think specialises in Banking Law but actually does more Clinical Negligence. Do the prep. Presidents of University Law Societies are ten-a-penny. Some sets will hold only one interview for pupillage candidates, but most will hold two. Tip 4: Enjoy it. T - True You must be true to yourself. TargetJobs Laws YouTube channel has many years of videos of the talks given at their National Pupillage Fair by barristers across all the practice areas this is information straight from the horses mouth. If the Set interviewing you does not go for it, then they are not the right Set for you. Follow. The people the panel remember from the interview were the ones who gave clear, compelling, insightful answers to our questions, not the people with wacky hobbies. Talking to friends and others who are either applying at the same time or who have just done it. . So incredible, that I had to divide the article into two parts: the first article (this one) focuses on tips from silks (essentially a view from the top); and the second article, which will be released in the near future (so keep a look out! Law Work Experience: Your Guide to Success, Pupillage: a Guide for Aspiring Barristers, changed the way the legal system has to operate, How to Land a Pupillage Event: 5 Things I Learned. So if you really have a question, then this is your opportunity to ask, but do not feel like you have to just for the sake of it. Listening to music. If you have a passion for something in the law, then demonstrate that. There may also be limited notice or preparation time (eg, you may be sent the task 20 minutes to an hour before the interview itself). Be prepared, particularly during the second round, for a panel of four . I think just take a deep breath and try your best. Make sure you are up to date with current affairs. Reflect on them, learn from them, and move on. "It is the same for pupillage." Meanwhile, in 2017, Legal Cheek reported that an aspiring barrister had been left "astonished" after chambers asked her to pay a 10 administration fee to obtain feedback. Pupillage - Twenty Essex According to student feedback, the most common exercise is an advocacy test of some description, or a presentation. The instructions vary on the chambers and the types of problems that they set. There are even UK nationals who secure jobs abroad during the time in-between the BTC and pupillage who are now at a disadvantage. Instead, you will be expected to present a logical, well-presented and well-structured argument to address a hotly debated topic relating to law. Use The Beginners Guide to a Career in Law to get started, Find out about the various legal apprenticeships on offer and browse vacancies with The Law Apprenticeships Guide, Information on qualifying through the Solicitors Qualifying Exam, including preparation courses, study resources, QWE and more, Discover everything you need to know about developing your knowledge of the business world and its impact on the law, The latest news and updates on the actions being taken to improve diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, Discover advice to help you prepare for and ace your vacation scheme, training contract and pupillage applications, Your first-year guide to a career in law find out how to kickstart your legal career at this early stage, Your non-law guide to a career in law everything you need to know about converting to law. Pupillages are generally offered almost 18 months in advance of their start dates. Buff up your strong points. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Tip 2: It can be a daunting experience to be presented in front of a panel of barristers asking questions.So it can be helpful to set yourself at ease. Going out for a walk. Used to track the information of the embedded YouTube videos on a website. A diverse profession representative of those who use the Bars services is a virtue b. If youre asked this question, you should take one aspect of Brexit that you are familiar with and give a well-structured answer as to how that one aspect has changed UK law. Don't be too arrogant "when I get pupillage here I will". Have confidence in yourself! So, if your form includes some interesting statements that you learned a lot about advocacy from watching submissions in a hearing during a mini-pupillage, expect to be asked more about that. Read a quality news website regularly. Make sure to ask for feedback. Tip 6: If you aren't successful, don't be daunted because even amongst those who are called to interviews, the ratios of interviewees to places is huge. This applies equally whether you are interviewing face to face or online. Go through your whole form, identify all the points you might be asked to elaborate on (these will be points which relate to the selection criteria), and do this for every single one. When you want to apply for pupillage you need to factor in where you are in your studies and what We intend to offer up to three pupillages to start in October 2024, each with an award of 40,000. It is also acceptable to ask for a minute to compose yourself as a rushed answer looks worse than asking for time to think about your answer. Make sure you show how you plan to overcome any difficulties because this demonstrates your commitment to learning and shows the panel that you are teachable. That, I was later told, was the clincher. I applied through college or university. You will hear competing theories over whether you do in fact need to have a prepared response to the final, dreaded, Do you have anything youd like to ask us? My advice is to have at least three questions in your back pocket (just in case the panel unhelpfully answer one or two of them in the course of the interview). Barristers love lists. Your judgment and powers of advocacy are the skills that cant be reflected on pornographic CVs, and are the ones that matter most. Discover what a first-round pupillage interview really looks like. Copyright 2022- Material published on this website is protected by copyright. Where one argument is going nowhere, pivot to a better one. Dont rely on the same example for every question, but demonstrate how you have shown intellect, flexibility, determination, teamwork, research skills, oral advocacy, persuasion, and conflict resolution, among other skills. Just be a human being. So you can take comfort from the fact that youresupposedto feel fairly pressured. Identify them and work on them. Tip 3: Be nimble. This way, you can give feedback that is specific, relevant, and concise. Theyre trying their best to enable you to shine its in their interests for everyone to be on best form, right? You might be asked about something specific to the type of work done by the chambers to which you are applying. Do some research on the different types of tasks you might be given at a pupillage interview and practise them too. Make sure youve read and watched those for your sets. The pupillage interview process how best to prepare for your pupillage Meditation or breathing exercises. This will help you to learn from your interview experience, so that next time, you have a greater chance at success. YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video. While considering other careers is not a problem, you should answer by demonstrating that you have considered other careers that involve some aspect of the law or require skills that are transferable to the legal profession. Looking back, I was fortunate not to have a chair thrown at me. You have the advantage of the panel when it comes to your interviews. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile. No feedback was provided in this email fine, so as most would expect I immediately replied, thanking the set for letting me know and asking the panel for some feedback. Another set, which you prefer and have always wanted to join, then makes you an offer a week later. Have you been able to use what you learned yourself, whether in a moot or discussion with a university committee or something else? The cookie helps in reporting and personalization as well. Make sure to structure these answers and give a clear outline of your arguments. Practise on demonstrating those in interview. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. LOLZ! You will deserve everything you get. You will read how your contemporaries spent a year as an intern on an international human rights case, or have written starry and brilliant articles, theses or even books on esoteric and impressively complex aspects of your chosen legal field. This cookies is installed by Google Universal Analytics to throttle the request rate to limit the colllection of data on high traffic sites. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors. Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. What do you do, why and what approach do you take? This is useful not just in increasing your knowledge of the chambers and its members, but in particular, it builds up a confidence that you have a better base to answer questions from. 4. The interview procedures adopted by chambers can be very varied. For example, Britains exit from the European Union changed the way the legal system has to operate. This is your opportunity to ask questions about how they cover the specific areas of law youre interested in as part of your pupillage, and to ask about the culture and the wider opportunities available to you.