Pupillage Vacancy Information
What we do at 7KBW
7 King’s Bench Walk is a specialist commercial set with a reputation for the depth of its expertise and intellectual rigour. We distinguish ourselves by our supportive and inclusive atmosphere, as well as by the consistent excellence of our tenants, from the most distinguished silks to the newest juniors.
The vast majority of our work is in the commercial and appellate courts, and in commercial arbitrations in London, although members also appear regularly in other courts and jurisdictions. The general character of Chambers’ work is of an international flavour, representing clients from across the world.
Areas of work
All members of Chambers specialise in commercial law. In practice, commercial law covers everything from small-scale contractual disputes to complex multi-jurisdictional disputes in areas such as international trade, energy, insurance, professional negligence, banking, financial services, fraud, commodities, shipping and aviation.
What we are looking for
In assessing candidates for pupillage, we are looking for individuals with the potential to become highly successful commercial barristers. We place particular emphasis on intellectual ability (which will generally be reflected in first-class academic achievement), analytical ability and advocacy. We do not typically interview candidates who do not have a first or a good upper second-class degree or equivalent.
You will receive the best possible training
7KBW places particular emphasis during pupillage on training pupils to become effective commercial barristers. To this end, the work of a pupil is diverse. A significant component will be helping in the preparation of trials and applications and attending Court and arbitration with your pupil supervisor. You will have the opportunity to see the preparation, in which you will have played a part, put into practice, as well as to observe live advocacy. Your work as a pupil will also include drafting statements of case, researching the law, writing opinions and attending conferences, where advice is given and cases are discussed with solicitors, clients and expert witnesses. These are all skills a barrister at 7KBW can expect to use throughout his or her practice, so Chambers takes care to ensure that pupils have the opportunity to develop them during pupillage, with regular feedback on and discussions of their own work and exposure to the work of established members of Chambers.
The pupillage year
A pupil can expect to sit with four different pupil supervisors in the course of the year, providing the opportunity to see a range of work and approaches. Each pupil supervisor is there to help you to learn and to produce your best work whilst in Chambers, through ongoing supervision and feedback. It is also important that pupils do work for members of Chambers other than their supervisors, so that an informed decision can be made about tenancy. However, your pupil supervisor acts as a gateway, to ensure that demands on you are kept within reasonable bounds and you are not asked to do work without sufficient time to do it properly. We also have active pastoral support for pupils, which remains entirely separate from the assessment process. Chambers wants pupils to succeed and pupillage is approached with that goal.
We want you to succeed
You will be judged only on ability and your potential as a commercial barrister. We do not set quotas for new tenants each year and there is no competition among pupils for a predetermined number of tenancies. Our aim is for as many of our pupils as possible to succeed and to join Chambers as junior tenants.
Pupillage Award
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
7 King’s Bench Walk recognises the vital importance of improving diversity at the Bar and ensuring it is accessible to, and inclusive of, the society it serves. We are committed to the fair recruitment of the best candidates from the widest possible pool of talent. We welcome applications from talented and ambitious candidates, regardless of background, and assess all applicants against the same objective and fair criteria, details of which can be found on our website at https://7kbw.co.uk/pupillage/selection-criteria/. We recognise that women, members of ethnic minorities, LGBT+ and those with disabilities are under-represented at the Commercial Bar, including within 7 King’s Bench Walk. We particularly welcome applications from candidates within such groups.
As part of our commitment to the promotion of equality and diversity, we use background information, obtained and analysed through the Rare Contextual Recruitment system, in our assessment process. This enables us to take account of the background and circumstances of each candidate in considering the extent to which that candidate fulfils the criteria for selection. For more information, see https://7kbw.co.uk/pupillage/equality-diversity/
How to Apply
Aspiring barristers are invited to apply to Chambers between Wednesday 3 January 2024 and Wednesday 7 February 2024 using the Pupillage Gateway application system to search for the relevant Pupillage Vacancy and selecting "Apply for this pupillage".
In addition to the standardised Bar Council questionnaire, candidates will be asked to respond to the following questions from Chambers:
1. Why do you believe you will make a good barrister? (250 word limit)
2. Why do you want to join our chambers? (250 word limit)
3. Describe an occasion on which you have dealt with complex information and developed a persuasive argument. (250 word limit)
4. Describe a challenge you have overcome by working with other people. (250 word limit)
References
As soon as possible after you have submitted your online application, please arrange for two referees each to send a reference directly to Chambers. We prefer references, where possible, to be academic and/or professional. The referees should have regard to our selection criteria, which can be found on our website: https://7kbw.co.uk/pupillage/selection-criteria/
The references should be sent to Chambers (headed “Pupillage Applications”) via email to pupillage@7kbw.co.uk, or by mail to 7 King’s Bench Walk, Temple, London EC4Y 7DS, and marked for the attention of Elizabeth Lindesay.
We would be grateful to receive references as soon as possible and in any event by 4pm on Wednesday 21 February 2024. It is your responsibility to arrange for references to be sent to us: we will not chase your referees.
The Rare Contextual Recruitment System
As part of our commitment to the promotion of equality and diversity, 7KBW also uses contextual information provided through a questionnaire each candidate is asked to complete upon submitting their application. This enables us to take into account a candidate’s background and circumstances, where relevant, in the assessment of that candidate against the selection criteria. The questionnaire forms an important part of the application process, and whilst it is not compulsory to complete it, it is strongly encouraged. We ask that you do so as soon as possible after you have submitted your pupillage application. The questionnaire will be available from 3 January 2024.
Please find at: //7kbw.app.candidats.io/apply/957c5118-1f6e-4486-88d2-023103f51f83.
