Vacancies

Blackstone Chambers – 12 months – September 2024

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.

A request for reasonable adjustments should be made in the first instance to the Chambers Director, Julia Hornor, and will be considered by the Pupillage Committee in conjunction with Chambers Equality and Diversity Officers as appropriate.

How to Apply

All applications for pupillage, including from those who have applied directly to us for mini-pupillage, must be made through the Pupillage Gateway, which will open for applications on 4 January 2023 and close on 8 February 2023. 

In the event you have not completed a mini-pupillage application at the time of your Gateway application, we will consider this as a joint application for both mini-pupillage and pupillage. For information about the application process and timetable, please visit our Website www.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:

1. Please list (if not already specified) subjects, grades, and your degree class of undergraduate and post graduate degrees undertaken including predicted degree class for studies currently in progress. (1500 character limits)
2. Why do you believe you will make a good barrister? In your answer, please identify any relevant experiences or skills that you believe may help you in your career. Your answer will be assessed for its persuasive content and written communication skills. (1500 character limits)
3. Please list any additional experience of written and/or oral advocacy. (1500 character limits)
4. Why do you want to join our chambers? In your answer, please give reasons for your choice of chambers and explain why you are interested in our areas of practice. Your answer will be assessed for its persuasive content and written communication skills. (1500 character limits)
5. Do you intend to practise in England and Wales? (Y/N) (500 character limits)
6. Blackstone Chambers reference number from previous application, if applicable. (500 character limits)
7. Is there any other information which you wish to bring Blackstone Chambers' attention in connection to your application? We always consider requests for reasonable adjustments to be made during the course of our applications process to remove or reduce disadvantages experienced by applicants with disabilities. (1500 character limits)

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.

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 9 April 2023 at the latest. Any delay may prejudice the processing of your application.

After all mini-pupillages have been completed the Pupillage Committee will select those candidates to be invited to a final pupillage interview, which will take place in late April 2023. In recent years we have interviewed around 16 candidates for pupillage following completion of mini-pupillage.

We will offer pupillages to 4 candidates, and one reserve candidate, on 5 May 2023. 

About AETO and Structure of Pupillage

Chambers occupies modern premises and offers a friendly and supportive environment in which to undertake pupillage.  The range of work undertaken is wide ranging and clients may include individuals, small businesses, large corporations or government and regulatory bodies. Principal practice areas 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.
• Employment: all aspects (including discrimination) are covered by the extensive employment law practices of members of chambers.
• 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.

Further information about our practice areas is available on our Pupillage Guide.

We are looking to recruit pupils of exceptionally high academic ability who can demonstrate an interest in and aptitude for a successful career at Blackstone Chambers. Successful candidates will have demonstrated high intellectual ability and will usually have at least a 2.1 honours degree, although not necessarily in law.

The first week of pupillage at Blackstone Chambers is an induction week. Thereafter pupils see the varied practices of members of Chambers including commercial, employment, European and public law/human rights through pupillage. Blackstone Chambers offers up to four 12 month pupillage. Pupils have four supervisors during pupillage 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.

Any Other Relevant Information

Blackstone Chambers will be using the Rare Contextual Recruitment System (CRS) when processing applications this year again. 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. You will receive an email inviting you to participate on submission of your application through the Pupillage Gateway.

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 Rare 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 and provide consent for it to be shared with Rare, we may not be able to take that information into account in assessing your application.

For more information, please visit www.contextualrecruitment.co.uk