Pupillage Vacancy Information
Colleton Chambers is located in Exeter and has been serving the communities of the West of England with legal advice and advocacy for over 50 years.
Funding:
We are offering two 12-month criminal pupillages starting in October 2026 with funding of £25,000 each.
Chambers is honoured to confirm that we have been chosen to receive the Western Circuit Butterfield Scholarship for one of our pupils starting in October 2026. As part of our interview process we will determine which of our pupils will receive the award however Chambers is committed to ensuring the level of funding remains consistent and both pupils will enjoy the same level of remuneration as follows:
An initial £5,000 is payable in August to help with relocation, followed by £10,000 grant during the non-practising period (‘first six’) and £10,000 guarantee of earnings during the practising period (‘second six’).
We will also fund pupils to attend all compulsory courses or events required within their pupillage, as well as travel costs outside of Exeter during the non-practising period.
Your pupillage:
Each pupil will have one allocated pupil supervisor and spend time with other members of the team during their pupillage.
Chambers values advocacy skills and considers it is vital that all pupils secure a solid foundation and opportunity to practice and develop their advocacy skills. All pupils will spend two weeks on secondment with the Crown Prosecution Service at the end of their first six. Thereafter, in addition to work in their specialism, both pupils will be expected to accepted instructions from the Crown Prosecution Service in their second six in order to develop their advocacy.
Chambers fosters a friendly collegiate environment and as part of this approach will allocate a “buddy” to both pupils from among the junior tenants.
We only take on pupils when we are clear that there are tenancies available to those who successfully complete their pupillage.
The successful applicants will have a strong academic background and be able to demonstrate aptitudes in both oral and written advocacy.
We have a strong team ethos and will expect our pupils to be team players.
Equality Diversity and Inclusion:
We carry out all recruitment, promotion and other types of selection procedures, such as redundancy selection processes, on the basis of merit, using non‐discriminatory and, as far as possible, objective criteria.
Nobody applying for a vacancy may be asked about their health, attendance record, or whether they have a disability, before an offer is made ‐ except in very limited situations. It may, for example, be justifiable to ask whether the applicant needs any disability‐ related measures put in place for the interview, or to check that they are capable of carrying out a key part of the position.
It is unlawful to ask applicants anything that might suggest an intention to discriminate on the grounds of a protected characteristic. Asking an applicant about their religion when they are applying for a job that involves weekend working would not, for example, be allowed. Nor would asking an applicant whether they have childcare responsibilities be allowed, as that suggests you might be intending to indirectly discriminate on grounds of sex or marital status.
Please note Chambers use an anonymised application system. Should you have any questions regarding accessibility please contact Anita Noerr at anitanoerr@colletonchambers.co.uk.
How to Apply:
Aspiring barristers are invited to apply to Chambers between 5 January 2026 and 22 January 2026 using the Pupillage Gateway application system.
In addition to the standardised Bar Council questionnaire, candidates will be asked to respond to the following questions from Chambers:
- Why do you believe you will make a good Criminal barrister? (150 words)
- Why do you want to join Colleton Chambers? (150 words)
- What elements of your education and/or experience so far have prepared you for the real life challenges of the Bar? (150 words)
- In an age increasingly described as 'post-truth', why is the Rule of Law important? (150 words)
- Give us an example of when you have made a mistake and how you tackled the consequences. (150 words)
- What challenges face the Bar in the future and how will you deal with them? (150 words)
- Life isn't all about work, so tell us about your life outside the Bar. (150 words)
