Pupillage Vacancy Information
Farrar’s Building, a leading set of London-based Chambers is embarking on an exciting period of growth and transition. Recruiting outstanding individuals through our pupillage process is an integral part of that journey.
We are looking for candidates who demonstrate not only the dedication and commitment to have a successful career at Farrar’s Building, but who also demonstrate the qualities to become the next generation of leaders at our award-winning set.
We have a long-established reputation for offering specialist advocacy and advice in personal injury, clinical and professional negligence, insurance and commercial litigation, employment, inquests, public inquiries, and disciplinary tribunals, but what makes us unique is the expertise we have at all stages of a claim, across all jurisdictions, ensuring consistency in matters from injury to inquest or inquiry; the opportunities available at Farrar’s Building are abundant.
Pupils will obtain a broad range of experience during their training, alongside long-serving members who act for a variety of corporate bodies, insurance companies, governmental departments, sporting bodies and players, regulatory and professional bodies, as well as individuals. They will be provided with the foundations to have distinguished careers with Farrar’s Building; such foundations which have provided many previous tenants opportunities to take silk, or opportunities for judicial appointments on Circuit, in the High Court or appellate courts.
If you would like to join a growing set described by its clients in the main legal directories as ‘friendly but professional’, ‘always producing work of the highest standard’, ‘accessible and approachable’, with a staffing team classed as ‘superb’ and ‘true professionals’, Farrar’s is the place to be.
We are extremely proud to not only state that we take the diversity, accessibility, equality and inclusion of those within our set very seriously but to have been recognised on a number of occasions for our commitments to removing or reducing barriers at the Bar for all. Indeed, we won the Chambers UK Bar award for Outstanding Set of the Year 2024: Diversity, Equality and Inclusion. We also won the Personal Injury Awards Best Environmental, Social & Governance Campaign awards in both 2023 and 2024.
Our Chief Executive, Paul Cray was also shortlisted in 2024 for Bar Champion of the Year in the disability and neurodiversity category of the Legal 500 ESG Awards. Recent awards short-listings for Chambers include those for ‘Personal Injury Set of the Year’, ‘Personal Injury Junior of the Year’, ‘Sports Silk of the Year’ ‘Professional Disciplinary Silk of the Year’ and ‘Employment Junior of the Year’ - at the Legal 500 Bar Awards. A number of our juniors have been recognised for their pro bono work, receiving shortlistings for ‘Young Pro Bono Barrister of the Year’ at the Bar Pro Bono Awards.
Structure of Pupillage
Farrar’s Building provides excellent opportunities for pupils to obtain a broad range of experience during their training. Two twelve-month pupillages are usually offered, commencing in October each year. Pupillage is organised in three four-month periods. The second four months is focussed on assisting pupils make the transition from the initial non-practising training and mentoring phases of their career, onto managing their own practice from their second six. During this period pupils will be in court with junior members of Chambers on a regular basis, experiencing the type of work they will be expected to undertake as soon as they are ‘on their feet’.
Pupils are also provided opportunities to immerse themselves in high value and high-profile cases shadowing our senior juniors and KCs in conferences, settlement meetings and trials.
Financial and Other Support Available
The funding is £70,000 per pupil, which will consist of a £35,000 award and a further £35,000 in guaranteed earnings.
Equality Diversity and Inclusion
Full EDI policies in place
Our E&D Officer is Laura Fitzgibbon
Our E&D Officer is Laura Fitzgibbon
Farrar's Building won 'Best ESG Campaign' at the PI Awards 2023
How to Apply
Aspiring barristers are invited to apply to Chambers between 2 January 2025 and 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 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)
- 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 (Max 250 words)
- If you could have been a fly on the wall to witness any conversation in history, what would it have been and why? Please limit your answer to no more than 5 short sentences. (Max 250 words)
- Please provide details of any extenuating circumstances relevant to your application. If this section is not relevant to you, then simply respond with the word “None”. (Max 300 Words)
For more information please visit https://www.farrarsbuilding.co.uk/the-chambers/join-us/pupillage/
