Pupillage Vacancy Information
Blackstone Chambers occupies modern premises and offers a friendly and supportive environment in which to do pupillage. Our members specialise in a wide range of legal practice areas and clients include individuals, small businesses, large corporations or government and regulatory bodies.
Principal practice areas we cover:
Commercial: financial/business law, international trade, banking, regulatory, insurance, media and entertainment, sport, intellectual property and professional negligence. Also conflicts of laws and jurisdiction/cross border issues.
Public law: incorporates all areas of administrative law and judicial review, acting both for and against central and local government agencies and other regulatory authorities and including commercial judicial review, together with a very broad range of human rights issues.
European & Competition law: forms an integral part of the specialist practices of individual barristers and includes the full range of EU specialisms in the UK and the EU courts post Brexit. A strong competition law specialism offers insight into regulatory enforcement and private damages actions.
Employment: all aspects (including discrimination) are covered by the extensive employment law practices of members of Chambers.
Further information about our practice areas is available on our website: https://pupillage.blackstonechambers.com
To find out more about Pupillage at Blackstone Chambers, register for one of our information sessions:
- Thursday 5th December, 5 – 7pm, in person at Blackstone Chambers
- Tuesday 17th December, 5.30 – 6.30pm, online webinar
- Thursday 16th January, 5.30 – 6.30pm, online webinar
Structure of Pupillage
Pupillage is, first and foremost, about giving you the skills you need to be an excellent barrister. We invest very strongly in our pupillage programme, our pupils gain extremely robust legal and practical skills during their training year.
We are looking for applicants with exceptionally high academic ability who can demonstrate an interest in and aptitude for a successful career at Blackstone Chambers. We place particular emphasis on a candidate’s written and oral advocacy and communication skills, which we assess throughout the application procedure. It is by no means necessary for your first degree to be in law.
Our pupils are welcomed into Chambers with an induction which includes admin and IT tasks to get you up and running before joining your supervisor; thereafter you will move through 4 seats, experiencing the dynamic and aspirational practices of each supervisor; and because pupils are exposed to such a wide range of legal areas, the 12-month pupillage is non-practising. Pupils are provided with comprehensive advocacy training throughout pupillage to ensure advocacy experience.
After pupillage, a new tenant can expect a busy and wide-ranging practice with opportunities to specialise later.
Financial and Other Support Available
We currently offer a pupillage award of £90,000 for pupillage commencing in 2026. Pupils may apply to draw down up to £30,000 during their BPC year. These figures are not affected if, like many of our pupils, you are successful in obtaining further financial assistance from your Inn. Our award may be reviewed during the currency of the application process.
We also offer financial assistance of up to £250 in respect of travel and/or out of pocket accommodation expenses incurred by candidates undertaking a mini-pupillage with us. In exceptional circumstances additional funding may be available. Please contact pupillage@blackstonechambers.com for information.
Equality Diversity and Inclusion
All barristers, clerks and staff are fully committed to diversity and inclusion within Blackstone Chambers and the Bar generally, and to equality of opportunity for all. It is Chambers’ policy to treat everyone fairly and equally. Candidates for pupillage and tenancy are assessed, and offers of pupillage made, solely on merit.
We are taking proactive steps to review and continually improve all aspects of the administration and life in Chambers, and to ensure and improve equality of access to pupillage, training and practice development, and employment opportunities within our organisation.
Any request for reasonable adjustments should be made in the first instance to pupillage@blackstonechambers.com and will be considered by the Pupillage Committee in conjunction with Chambers Equality and Diversity Officers as appropriate.
How to Apply
We have made some changes to our application procedure as a result of the continuous review of our process.
Since 2023, we no longer invite applications for mini-pupillage before the Pupillage Gateway opens. Instead, all applications for pupillage commencing in September 2026 will be made through the Pupillage Gateway, which will open for applications on 2 January 2025 and close on 6 February 2025.
In addition to the Pupillage Gateway application form, candidates applying to Blackstone Chambers will be asked to complete a timed written assessment, conducted remotely on Saturday 15th February. Applicants will be able to choose from 3 time slots across the day; the Pupillage Committee Chairs will consider requests for alternative times in exceptional circumstances but it is hoped all applicants will complete the assessment on 15 February 2025. It’s intended that the assessment will take no longer than three hours.
About 50 candidates will be selected for an assessed mini-pupillage, based on the information provided on their Pupillage Gateway application form, their responses to the additional competency-based questions and their performance in the the timed written assessment referred to above. Focus will be on: your academic achievements; written and oral advocacy experience; and your communication skills; and motivation
After all mini-pupillages have been completed, the Pupillage Committee will invite approximately 12 candidates to a final pupillage interview.
For more information about the application process, our assessment criteria and timetable, please visit our Website: https://pupillage.blackstonechambers.com, or please contact pupillage@blackstonechambers.com.
In addition to the standardised Bar Council questionnaire, candidates will be asked to respond to the following questions from Chambers:
- Please explain to us persuasively why you want to be a barrister at Blackstone Chambers. Please refer to any work and other experience (legal and non-legal) that you think provides evidence of your motivation to join our chambers (300 words)
- Tell us what you think demonstrates that you will be a good oral and written advocate. This could include advocacy experience at work, in volunteer positions, achieving a sought-after outcome, as well success in mooting, public speaking, debating, etc. Your answer will be assessed for evidence of effective advocacy (300 words)
- Please list (if not already specified) subjects, final grades, a breakdown of results and your overall degree class of undergraduate and post graduate degrees undertaken, including predicted degree class for studies currently in progress. If your degree is from a non-UK university, please indicate whether the grade is equivalent to a 1st, 2:1 or 2:2 and explain the reasons for this. If you have a post graduate degree which is awarded on a pass/fail basis, please indicate whether your overall performance was equivalent to a pass/merit or distinction and explain the reasons why this is so (300 words).
- If applicable, please provide us with any evidence which you consider demonstrates that you have exceptional academic ability (other than degree results). This could include awards, prizes or publications of exceptional note, high-level academic positions, exceptional results in professional qualifications etc. Please note that if you wish this information to be considered, you must include this in your answer here, even if if you have also provided it elsewhere in the form.
- Is there any other information which you wish to bring to Blackstone Chambers' attention in connection with your application? This may be any information that you think relevant that you have not provided elsewhere in answer to the questions from Chambers, such as extenuating circumstances affecting your academic performance which had an effect on your degree result (300 words). Please note that if you wish this information to be considered, you must include this in your answer here, even if if you have also provided it elsewhere in the form.
- If you have applied to Blackstone Chambers previously and done an assessed mini-pupillage with us, please explain by reference to the criteria set out in our guidance how you consider that your application has improved since then? (300 words)
We will not take up references or require university certificates or transcripts until a candidate’s application has progressed through to offer of a mini pupillage. We will contact you at the relevant time to make this request. References do not form part of the mini-pupillage assessment process and will only be considered by the Pupillage Committee if you are offered a final pupillage interview.
When requested, we will require at least two academic references and a copy of your university official documents sent direct to pupillage@blackstonechambers.com
We strongly advise that you have contacted your referees and your universities well in advance of these possible requirements so that these supporting documents can be submitted by 7 April 2025 at the latest. Any delay may prejudice the processing of your application.
After all mini-pupillages have been completed the Pupillage Committee will invite a small group of around 12 candidates to a final pupillage interview. Final interviews will take place in late April 2025.
We will offer pupillages to 4 candidates, and one reserve candidate, on 9 May 2025.
Any Other Relevant Information
Blackstone Chambers will use the Rare Contextual Recruitment System (CRS) as incorporated into the Pupillage Gateway when processing applications. This allows us to understand each applicant’s achievements in the context in which they have been gained. We understand that not every candidate’s achievements look the same on paper and we want to recruit the best people, from every background.
We ask you to share this information so that your application can be reviewed in the context of your socio-economic background (e.g. so we can consider whether you overachieved in light of your wider personal circumstances). It’s important to note that the CRS is a screen in tool, not a screen out tool, and under no circumstances are candidates ever marked down for supplying or not supplying this information. While participation is entirely voluntary, we use the CRS in order to help us level the playing field and identify potential in candidates from less advantaged backgrounds. If you do not provide the contextual information requested or provide consent for it to be shared with the CRS, we may not be able to take that information into account in assessing your application.
For more information, please visit www.contextualrecruitment.co.uk
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