Pupillage Vacancy Information
About Authorised Education and Training Organisation
Doughty Street Chambers (DSC) comprises of over 170 barristers supported by 45 staff who all share a fundamental commitment to going “above and beyond” for our clients. Striving for access to justice, professionalism and excellence remains the driving force behind all that we do, coupled with our desire to innovate in the way that we offer services to our clients. Read more about our values here.
Doughty Street barristers are specialist practitioners, regularly involved in high profile, precedent-setting cases. Although we work across many fields, we are particularly known for our commitment to protecting and furthering human rights and civil liberties. We are noted as leaders in our fields, for our intellectual excellence and for cultivating a collaborative approach between our various practice teams.
Structure of Pupillage
We are offering one specialist Immigration pupillage to start in October 2026.
The Immigration Team at Doughty Street Chambers offers expertise in all aspects of personal immigration and nationality law, including refugee/asylum claims, human rights claims, EU free movement law and the EU Settlement Scheme, family reunion, investors, students, business, and commercial immigration, including sponsor compliance and challenges to the revocation of sponsor licences, as well as challenges to unlawful detention. The team has a Tier 1 ranking in the Chambers and Partners UK Bar Directory (2025), described as a ‘strong immigration set with significant expertise in judicial review proceedings challenging Home Office policy and decisions’. It was shortlisted in the Team of the Year Immigration Category in the 2024 Legal 500 awards.
Barristers from the team are routinely involved in some of the most innovative and high-profile litigation concerning asylum and immigration law, and migrants’ rights. Recent examples include:
- Litigation challenging the lawfulness of the previous UK government’s policy to remove asylum seekers to Rwanda, in which members of the team appeared on behalf of Claimants, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and other specialist UN bodies;
- Challenges to the interpretation of the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement concerning rights of EU nationals following Brexit, including novel issues of law in deportation matters and litigation on behalf of carers of British nationals;
- Strategic litigation on behalf of victims of trafficking and unaccompanied asylum seeking migrant children;
- Test litigation concerning asylum support and provision of bail accommodation to migrants;
- Appeals before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission concerning complex nationality matters.
The successful candidate will undergo 12 months’ training under 3 supervisors and will work predominantly with our immigration specialists.
You will be exposed to work across the entire breadth of the team’s work and it is expected that the successful candidate will have a busy second-six months including appearing at bail and appeal hearings in the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) and judicial review work.
After successfully completing your year's pupillage, you will be invited to apply for membership of Chambers as an integral part of the Immigration practice team.
This Specialist Immigration pupillage is in addition to Housing and Community Care Specialist and General pupillages (for which, see separate adverts on the Pupillage Gateway).
Financial and Other Support Available
The pupillage award for the year is £50,000 comprising of a grant of £40,000, in addition to guaranteed earnings of £10,000 in the second-six practising element of pupillage. Chambers also provides a contribution to cover travel expenses during pupillage.
Equality Diversity and Inclusion
We are an Equal Opportunities Employer. Doughty Street Chambers is committed to creating a diverse workspace and to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion, and eliminating unlawful discrimination. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment on the basis of merit.
We aim to stifle the myth that there is an acceptable way to look, talk or act to be a member of the Bar.
A commitment to promoting human rights and equality has always been part of our ethos.
We are committed to promoting careers in the law to those from under-represented backgrounds. Our outreach initiatives page details more information about this, together with Chambers’ Equality and Diversity Policy and Chambers' Anti-Bullying and Harassment Policy.
Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS)
As part of our work as a Disability Confident Employer, under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS), Doughty Street Chambers will offer a guaranteed interview to pupillage candidates who are Disabled within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010, if they meet the minimum requirements of the position for which they have applied and subject to a cap on interviews offered under the GIS.
The minimum requirements for pupillage recruitment are calculated as a minimum combined score across our criteria of intellectual ability and dedication. These are set each year by the Pupillage Committee in consultation with Chambers’ Equality & Diversity Officer and the Disability Working Group, with final approval from the Management Board.
Applications will be considered under GIS if candidates declare a disability and meet the minimum requirements. It does not depend on a candidate requesting reasonable adjustments. If a candidate wishes to be considered under the Scheme, they must send a separate email confirming this to the email address: recruitment@doughtystreet.co.uk
How to Apply
Aspiring barristers are invited to apply to chambers between Thursday 2 January 2025 and Thursday 6 February 2025 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:
- Why do you wish to become a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers? (Maximum 250 words)
- 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. (Maximum 250 words)
- Please explain how you have demonstrated motivation, commitment, and drive in any aspect of your life. We are particularly interested in activities in relation to civil liberties and the welfare of others, but you should also include significant achievements or experience in unrelated fields. (Maximum 250 words)
- Please explain why you are applying for the Specialist Immigration Pupillage. Please include what you have done, or anything else to which you would like to highlight, that demonstrates your interest in and commitment to this practice area. (Maximum 250 words)
