These questions arent asked to catch you out, but rather to assess how you would respond on the spot. Tip 1: If you get through the pupillage application stage and you are now preparing for a pupillage interview, well done. Practical exercises based around legal problems are quite common, according to feedback we receive from students. 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. Make sure you've researched the chambers thoroughly. In fact its mostly pretty dull and disappointing. The standard CV drill, so know your CV well and describe your experiences. 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. And that is the very best impression you can leave. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You must join an inn before you qualify as a barrister. I applied through college or university. While second-round interviews will vary, the following are by far the most common when going in for second round interviews. 32 Followers. How do you cope with being turned down? You will be expected to know it off by heart and you must be prepared to answer questions about anything you have included. The fact that a chambers (as in this case), can congratulate you for securing a second-round interview, and identify how incredibly competitive the process was, in the same email as refusing to provide feedback, to me is confusing and demonstrates a reluctance to help future colleagues in contradiction to the posts I see on social media platforms all the time from members of the profession. Buff up your strong points. Note from Arooj: other resources include reaching out to organisations such as Bridging the Bar and BME Legal. Going out for a walk. This cookies are used to collect analytical information about how visitors use the website. Value yourself a. Inns of Court (advice sessions, podcasts, mentorship programmes); and, pupillageandhowtogetit.com. In addition to typical pupillage interview questions, you could be asked ethical or legal questions covering a wide range of current affairs. For example, at our chambers, we set different problem questions every year. Do not be overly formal. Pupillage interview season is looming. 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. I think the best way to prepare for this kind of question is just to read the broadsheet papers and decide what your view is and why. One round of interviews, often the first, may be short and focused on a specific skill such as advocacy or may be focused on a set of questions that are being asked to every candidate. I advise you not to close yourself off from experiencing different areas of law, even those you think you might not like. You can accept or reject cookies which are not essential for the site to work by clicking on the Cookie settings below. This question is an opportunity to demonstrate that you are a team player. Tip 3: When it comes to the actual interview, different chambers have different modes of interview. Pupillage Interviews (Part 2): Top Tips from Established Practitioners and Juniors at the Bar, The Do's and Don'ts of Pupillage Applications, TRAINING CONTRACT APPLICATIONS AND WHERE TO START, RESOURCES FOR APPLYING TO Clifford Chance, INFORMATION FOR FOREIGN QUALIFIED LAWYERS, Pupillage Interviews (Part 1): Top Tips from Eight Silks. You have the advantage of the panel when it comes to your interviews. (Life at the Bar is much the same.) Make sure to structure these answers and give a clear outline of your arguments. Meditation or breathing exercises. As a result, chambers can be highly individualistic. For example: You have accepted pupillage with one set of chambers. It does not correspond to any user ID in the web application and does not store any personally identifiable information. 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. If you fabricate, we will find you out. You do not have to hit all the buttons, but having some will be good. Temperament/personality: the ability to remain calm, objective and confident while working under pressure with complex or unfamiliar material. At my first ever interview, I span a fluffy cat story about how I was inspired by the story of somebody I met on a mini-pupillage, and how I aspired to tread in their footsteps. These attributes are essential to practice at the Bar, and you need to show the panel that you possess them. But you only need one good interview, so dont beat yourself up too much about the ones that go badly. If you answer why you want to be a barrister without mentioning advocacy, imo it raises a red flag. Perceptions change in practice. Luck is the clincher. This question is asked to assess how well you keep up with current high profile cases and how your personal and professional experiences may influence a particular viewpoint. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Like so many others applicants, I failed to secure a pupillage this year which in itself is very frustrating and disheartening (to say the least). P - Preparation When you think about interviews from the point of view of the interviewer, they will have heard most answers before. For example, my husband gave me a mock silk interview the day before my real interview. Read a quality news website regularly. This can seem equally daunting whether you are facing the interview panel across a desk, or they are all peering out at you from your screen. Perhaps role-play something similar with your friends. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. 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. You wont be asked about anything obscure. This cookie is set by doubleclick.net. Used to track the information of the embedded YouTube videos on a website. The short answer is that it isnt possible to keep your nerves wholly in check and nor do you need to. You are always better of taking a moment and giving a well-structured, persuasive answer, than answering hastily. Prepare your answers so that they provide more evidence to the panel of the skills that the chambers is looking for, as set out in that chambers selection criteria which pretty much all sets now publish. Or are you proactive, responsive and adaptable? Here are ten examples of interview feedback that you can use in interviews in different situations: When the candidate in . This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The purpose of the cookie is to determine if the user's browser supports cookies. If you get offered pupillage, you can start making enquiries, I think its a bit pointless otherwise. The point of a mock interview is to get an objective assessment of how you come across. Motivation: a high level of drive, determination and commitment towards the Bar, the chambers and the circuit (if outside London). Others will have friends or family in chambers, or relatives in the judiciary. Please note that you must have already secured a pupillage interview to be eligible for this scheme. They are invaluable to obtain real time feedback. This cookie is to identify the source of a visit and store user action information about it in a cookies. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. What do you do, why and what approach do you take? I was so bad because I thought I had the answers in my head, but I had not practised getting them out. Some pupillage interview feedback. The best barristers take criticism in their stride and seek to improve in those areas where they have faced criticism. Tip 5: Be engaging. All it takes to break a losing streak is just one lucky win. P - Passion When you are in an interview and you meet someone who is genuinely interested and engaged, it makes such a big difference. Linkedin - Used to track visitors on multiple websites, in order to present relevant advertisement based on the visitor's preferences. This way, you can give feedback that is specific, relevant, and concise. We use cookies to provide you with a better online experience, to tailor advertising based on your browsing, and for statistics and measurements purposes. It sets a unique ID to embed videos to the website. Receiving an invitation to an interview creates the initial . One of the instructions in our guidance notes is "This is not a role play. I interviewed at Zaid Ibrahim & Co (Kuala Lumpur) in Feb 2023. 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. They know what is on their website. Linked to the foregoing, make sure you have prepared to talk about something anything that is not law. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement". But try not to be fazed. If your form includes reference to specific cases you enjoyed studying or were interesting to research on a mini, or even a topic you wrote a dissertation on, expect to be asked more about that. 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. 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. The purpose of the cookie is to enable LinkedIn functionalities on the page. 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. Competition for pupillage is tough, as everyone who passes the application stage knows (seeApplying yourself to pupillagefor more), so being invited to an interview is an achievement in itself. 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. Barristers in chambers often work as a collective to solve problems. Line up a few of these during your interview prep. Should attempted suicide be criminalised. This is in the hope that the small suggestion I make below for improving the process for applicants (and, as I see it, raising the standards of the profession as a whole), will be considered. 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. Be prepared succinctly to summarise the main point, explain what was interesting, what your view was and what the arguments against were. Look at their website, but not just their website. 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. this is so user unfriendly that it is ridiculous, no way it seems to bespoke a search for say on gateway and off-gateway, how many pupillages offered or by specialities. . . I genuinely dont think hobbies etc make a difference (except maybe if theyre done to a really high level, and even then, imo they only make a difference on the paper sift). Be prepared, particularly during the second round, for a panel of four or five interviewers, perhaps even more. *Please bear in mind this was five years ago, a lot has changed since then and there are plenty of resources and organisations you can reach out to for assistance these are detailed in the article below. Knowing that it could really help someone and make their life a bit easier is what keeps me going. This is to see how you cope under pressure. The best barristers demonstrate a high-level of competency. Having relevant questions for pupillage interview panels demonstrates that you have a genuine interest in their chambers. Don't squander a pupillage interview to test out your interview skills. You must take responsibility for accessing all the information there is on the web, Bar School, Chambers, Inns and the Bar Council that you understand what the process is about. Some sets will hold only one interview for pupillage candidates, but most will hold two. Theyre trying their best to enable you to shine its in their interests for everyone to be on best form, right? We intend to offer up to three pupillages to start in October 2024, each with an award of 40,000. Many will have impressive previous careers, either in law or outside, and as a twenty-something BPTC graduate, it is easy to be gripped by inferiority. This does not mean to say you will not be brilliant in another application or another career if you decide to move, but failure is just something you are going to have to get used to mortifying, humiliating and painful as it is, because it will be part of your working life. I also shared snippets of my successful Clifford Chance application to show how differently I had phrased my answers. 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. This domain of this cookie is owned by Vimeo. Your CV counts for absolutely nothing when youre sitting in a cell opposite a screaming heroin addict who has stabbed his cellmate in the eye and is threatening to exact upon you his frustration that his solicitor hasnt been to visit him. This cookie is set by LinkedIn and used for routing. If youre seduced by the idea of parading about in a wig, bands and a gown, grow up. I then practised, aced the interview and got silk. . This will include looking at the feedback of other practitioners, the structure and development of your pupillage and the requirements of the Professional Statement. Chambers are only able to interview a small minority of applicants. What exactly did you learn? Instead, you will be expected to present a logical, well-presented and well-structured argument to address a hotly debated topic relating to law. I cross my fingers and toes and hope that as many of my applications as possible end up in that first and smallest pile - the interview pile. Debate-related pupillage interview questions are more difficult to prepare for, but you won't be expected to solve a specific problem in two minutes. This, Im afraid, is the reality. This cookies is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos. 5. If not, scour the chambers website for self-congratulatory guff about ethos and values and try to pass those off as your own. And at the criminal Bar, whatever brickbats we throw at the system and the punitive lifestyle the Bar engenders, life is never, ever dull. Stand your ground under pressure from smug interviewers, but be prepared to make concessions if your argument is expertly blown apart. (I appreciate just how difficult this advice may be to put into practice!). Do you mind if I take a second to think about that question? obviously dont make the silence too long but its totally fine to ask this. Use this as another opportunity to show your enthusiasm and to find out about the kind of work you might be involved in. When you want to apply for pupillage you need to factor in where you are in your studies and what Do not come up to a Set which you think specialises in Banking Law but actually does more Clinical Negligence. When it comes to feedback, it's always good to have a few examples of interview feedback ready to go. Good advice. The pupillage application process continues as hundreds of aspiring barristers prepare for interviews this month online and in person. I received no response to this email and therefore, sent a further email on 20 May, once again asking for feedback from the panel, and checking they had received my previous correspondence. None of you are likely to be a senior judge in junior form. They want to know you are interested in their work. Your CV and experiences will form the basis of pupillage interview questions you are asked. This is another deliberate question asked by pupillage interview panels to gauge what you think makes a good barrister. See our top tips on commercial pupillage . 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. If you are a student with a Disability Support Agreement do not be afraid to request extra time for advocacy preparation or exercises. 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. In some chambers, the whole Pupillage Recruitment Committee (PRC) will be in your second-round interview! 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). This cookie is a browser ID cookie set by Linked share Buttons and ad tags. Look at Legal500, Chambers and Partners and read into some of the cases the Barristers have been in. Kieran Alker is a first class law graduate. Pupillage interview preparation. Practise on demonstrating those in interview. This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. Do not wait until that stage until you practise. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. This is a question that genuinely seeks to discover how a chambers can best help you develop if there is an aspect of pupillage you could find difficult. This is really important because it completely changes the tone of how you present. Similarly a candidate with a 2(ii) may score highly in the other category and be shortlisted for interview. Your response to some questions will be deliberately challenged by the interview panel. So make sure you understand what is expected of you so that you perform to that expectation. The interview procedures adopted by chambers can be very varied. What you can do however is make sure you are well rested and relaxed, as this will be more conducive to a good interview . Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Are you reactive, defensive or dismissive? All of the above. Make sure you know which areas of law they specialise in, which may be more specialised than just commercial or public law. You should also be aware of the changes affecting the regulation of the profession so, in addition to the news websites, keep up to date with publications by the Bar Standards Board (BSB). The Bar is not the be-all and end-all. There are a million variables that may influence your chances in any given interview. Dont just put stuff on your form for the sake of making it stand out. Through my blog, I share information I wish I had access to back in the day. Many thanks to the silks again for their valuable contributions. You might be asked about something specific to the type of work done by the chambers to which you are applying. The response was incredible. With a twitter and LinkedIn profile, you can see what people are doing in their professional and personal life. This will help you to learn from your interview experience, so that next time, you have a greater chance at success. Give yourself a pat on the back because it means you are doing something right. So you cant really give a wrong answer; you just need to be able to argue in support of it. It is worth saying because remember chambers are looking to help you. My carefully crafted applications have been sent out into the ether, landing in the laps of barristers up and down the country to be sifted through and sorted into piles of 'yes', 'no' and 'never in a million years'. However, in most cases the selection process will include a practical exercise and an interview (usually two). 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). Answers are more impressive when supported by experience of the Bar and the law. Your odds are slim, and unless you are particularly brilliant (and most of us arent), you are competing against hundreds of people of comparable ability, intellect and experience. Make sure you are not going to be making a misstep by suggesting that they do work that they do not do. We hope the above helps and we would love to hear from you in the comments below if it does. We a legal jobs marketplace exclusively for paralegals, law support staff and law firms only. We will suss you out if you are giving out an example you cannot justify. Ask for feedback from unsuccessful interviews, and use anything constructive, but dont let a run of rejections cause you to lose heart. 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. The Times has today published a fine piece on applying for pupillage, reflecting the advice and experience of some survivors of the process, both applicants and interviewers. Its important to clearly explain why you have chosen a specific law to change and draw on oral and written advocacy skills to argue your reason for changing that law. One of the things I struggled with in 2017 as an aspiring barrister (especially as an individual that moved to the UK only for my studies) was finding information in terms of what to expect in the application process, how to prepare and the realities of the journey. Even if the topic is your Mastermind subject, you win no points for speed. Quick Q&A: The Supreme Court decision on John Worboys victims and police failings, pupillage statistics speak for themselves, Heres whats wrong with Labours attack ads on crime. 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.
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