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
DSC is offering one specialist Media and Information law Pupillage to start in October 2025. DSC’s media and information team is ranked in both Chambers and Partners and Legal 500, and is nominated for Media, Privacy and Information Law set of the year in the 2023 Chambers UK Bar awards. Members have been involved in some of the most high-profile and influential cases of recent years, including:
Phone-hacking claims brought by the Duke of Sussex and others against the owner of the Daily Mail;
Chris Packham’s successful defamation action against individuals linked to a pro-fieldsports publication;
Defamation action brought against actor and political activist Laurence Fox;
Leading Supreme Court decisions on the operation of the defence in s.4 Defamation Act 2013; the serious harm requirement in s.1 Defamation Act 2013; and the determination of meaning in cases involving social media publication; and
Important press freedom cases in the criminal courts, the family courts, and the Court of Protection.
Members have a wealth of expertise in European and international cases concerning freedom of expression, and the team is also a market leader in international media defence cases, with members acting for the family of assassinated journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, Nobel laureate Maria Ressa, and imprisoned pro-democracy campaigner and publisher Jimmy Lai. The breadth of Chambers’ expertise means that members often work alongside colleagues in other practice areas, in cases with a media and information law angle (for instance, in employment law or inquests).
The successful applicant will undergo a year's training with four pupil supervisors (split into 4 periods of 3 months each). Three of these will be spent with our media specialists, allowing the pupil the opportunity to experience members’ work across the entire breadth of this area. One period will be practising, under the supervision of a member of a media-adjacent team, giving the pupil an opportunity to gain advocacy experience. After successfully completing your year's Pupillage, you will be invited to apply for membership of Chambers as an integral part of the media and information team.
This specialist Pupillage is in addition to a specialist Health & Human rights and a specialist Crime Pupillage (for which see separate advert on the Pupillage Gateway). Please note that applicants applying for this specialist Pupillage cannot also apply for and will not be considered for the other specialist Pupillages.
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
At Doughty Street Chambers, diversity is welcomed, celebrated and essential. For more information on our equality, diversity and inclusivity initiatives please see here. Please see details on Chambers accessibility here. You can contact DSC Head of Facilities, Terrance Munduru directly to enquire about our accessibility prior to making an application.
How to Apply
Aspiring barristers are invited to apply to chambers between Wednesday 3 January 2024 and Wednesday 7 February 2024 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:
1. Why do you wish to become a barrister? (Max. 250 words)
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. (Max. 250 words)
3. 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. (Max. 250 words)
4. Please explain why you are applying for a specialist Pupillage in Media and Information law at DSC. Please include what you have done, or anything else to which you would like to point, that demonstrates your interest in and commitment to this area of practice. (Max. 250 words)
