Pupillage Vacancy Information
Deka Chambers is a leading common law (mixed practice) set known for its core strengths in advocacy, drafting and advisory work. Clients include solicitors, local government, central government, corporate bodies and individuals.
Pupils and tenants (for at least three years after tenancy) practise in all areas of our work, an arrangement which provides enviable advocacy experience and develops an interesting and varied practice. Pupils in their second six (practising period) are routinely in court most or all days of the week in a range of civil, criminal and family cases.
We are offering up to two pupillages of 12 months’ duration, commencing in October 2025.
We look for candidates who can demonstrate their analytical ability, expression and persuasion skills, practical professional skills and motivation to have and develop a common law practice. Candidates are required to have a minimum of a second class degree (the minimum qualification level in the Bar Qualification Manual) and be in a position to have been called to the Bar by the commencement date of pupillage. Otherwise, there are no formal academic requirements to apply or be selected for pupillage with us
We operate and observe a robust equality and diversity policy, including in recruitment; and for many years we have been at the forefront of E&D issues at the Bar.
All of the information about our pupillage application process, funding and structure can be found on our website at https://www.dekachambers.com/join-us/pupillage/
Areas of Practice
The largest group in chambers practises in personal injury and clinical negligence work, which is linked to work in inquests and inquiries and travel claims. There is a strong criminal team with work in fraud, sexual offences and general crime, and a regulatory group working with professional bodies and individuals. Members also accept instructions from the Metropolitan Police and other constabularies, as well as other Government bodies (such as the Home Office) in a variety of civil and quasi-criminal cases. The family team undertakes the full range of public and private law work, and Court of Protection work permits cross-over between the family and civil disciplines. The commercial and property group is routinely involved in cases of all levels of complexity, covering a wide spectrum of disputes from cases relating to commercial leases and construction contracts to consumer credit and insolvency matters. Members of chambers, and particularly pupils and junior tenants, frequently tackle new areas of work.
Financial and Other Support Available
We offer a financial package worth £65,000.
The funds are delivered in two tranches. The first half of the funding, £32,500, is directly paid as an award. In line with Bar Council guidance, each pupil receives an equal amount of £5,416.66 every month for the first six months of the pupillage. The second half of the funding, £32,500, takes the form of guaranteed earnings. Pupils undertake work in their own names in the second six months of pupillage. At the end of that period (which is also the end of the 12-month pupillage), each pupil is paid the difference between £32,500 and what they have received.
We offer the facility to ‘draw down’ part of the pupillage award before the commencement of pupillage. It is a matter over which we exercise discretion, taking into account the demonstration of need and it being for a reasonable purpose. Any money drawn down is taken from the half of the award paid in the first six months. We do not permit a draw down which would result in the remaining funds being diminished below the London living wage equivalent.
Equality Diversity and Inclusion
We are committed to administering an application process which invites and facilitates applications from as wide a range of candidates as possible. Over the years we have selected for interview, and recruited, candidates from a variety of backgrounds and with a variety of characteristics.
We mark application forms on an anonymous basis and (as set out on the details of the application process) we strongly discourage the inclusion of identifying features and protected characteristics on the forms.
At every stage of the process (including the pre-interview stage), we are open to considering and making reasonable adjustments to ensure the full and meaningful participation of candidates with particular requirements, and we are open to discussing adjustments at all stages of the process.
We have recently significantly increased the amount of information permanently available on our website about the pupillage process, in part to allow candidates to identify whether, and what, adjustments they might wish to seek.
How to Apply
We do not accept applications through the Pupillage Gateway: instead, candidates should apply on our own application form through our dedicated online system.
All the information, including the form, will be available on the pupillage pages on our website, which can be accessed here: https://www.dekachambers.com/join-us/pupillage/
The application window will be open from 3 January 2024 to 7 February 2024 inclusive. First round interviews will be held on 2 March 2024. Second round interviews will be held on 27 and 28 March 2024.
