Pupillage Vacancy Information
Five Paper is a modern, specialist set of barristers’ chambers in Temple, the heart of legal London. Our barristers specialise in the fields of commercial and property law.
Chambers works with clients from many sectors and believes accessibility, communication and strong relationships are key to delivering excellent results. Senior members are among the most experienced and innovative within their areas of expertise. Chambers’ juniors balance busy court practices with paperwork, junior briefs and networking.
Five Paper has two thriving divisions, the Commercial Division and the Property Division, which encompass the sub-groups listed further below.
Commercial Division:
- Banking & Finance
- Civil Fraud
- Insolvency & Company
- Employment
- Business Immigration & Regulatory
Members of the Commercial Division frequently appear across the branches of the High Court, in specialist insolvency tribunals, in the Employment Tribunal, and in the County Court. In banking, our members act predominantly for lenders who provide personal, business and corporate banking services. We have acted for all the major clearing banks. In company and insolvency, members range in call from newly qualified to over 25 years’ in practice, with an in-depth sector knowledge reflected in our prominent role among many of the insolvency organisations. Pupils can expect exposure to fast track commercial matters from their first few months on their feet, as well as to company and insolvency matters.
Property Division:
- Social Housing
- Public Law
- Landlord & Tenant
- Real Property
- Private Client
The Property Division is a market leader for legal services in local government and Public Law. Members act both for tenants and for landlords. The Property Division consists of 30 barristers ranked as a leading set for Social Housing with members equally ranked as a Leading Silk/Junior. The Division regularly appears in First tier Tribunal, Upper Tribunal, County Court, High Court and Court of Appeal.
Structure of Pupillage
Through our pupillage at Five Paper we aim to provide pupils with a wide variety of legal work and as much hands-on experience as possible. It’s vital that you receive a thorough, practical training in the business of being a barrister and understand how we conduct ourselves and the etiquette of the Bar.
It is equally important that pupils enjoy their time with us. We want you to feel part of Chambers and hope you’ll find us friendly and welcoming.
Pupillage is divided into five periods of approximately 10 weeks each, and you will have a different pupil supervisor for each period. Supervisors alternate between commercial and property, such that at the end of their first four seats pupils will have spent an equal amount of time in each division.
At the end of each period of pupillage your pupil supervisor will carry out an appraisal, which is graded to give an indication of your level of performance. You are encouraged to respond in writing and discuss areas for improvement with your supervisor. Your strengths and weaknesses will be identified and future objectives agreed. Any work done for barristers other than your pupil supervisor will also be appraised.
In second six, pupils can expect to be in court many times per week, in matters ranging from first possession hearings to bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings, alongside contested applications and trial advocacy. Throughout this period, your supervisors will be on hand to deal with any matters arising. We believe this hands-on experience is the best way to gain the skills required to thrive in your early years of practice.
Financial and Other Support Available
Our pupils will receive a total of £70,000. This will include a £35,000 award, plus £35,000 guaranteed earnings in the second six of pupillage.
Up to £12,000 of this may be drawn down during the preceding year in two tranches, with the balance paid in equal monthly instalments during the year.
Equality Diversity and Inclusion
At Five Paper we are committed to the principle of equal opportunities for all. We value diversity within our team and amongst our clients and those we meet during the course of our work. We fully support equal opportunities and enforce anti-discrimination legislation. Further details of our commitment to EDI can be found on our website. Chambers would be happy to respond to further email enquiries.
How to Apply
Candidates will be asked to respond to the following questions from Chambers:
- Why do you want to be a barrister at Five Paper? (Max 250 words)
- When have you had to resolve a conflict at work or in a team you were part of? How did you deal with it? (Max 250 words)
- Can you provide an example of when you managed an important project or goal? Why was it important? How did you resolve challenges faced? (Max 250 words)
- When have you had to change your communication style because of a situation you faced? (Max 250 words)
- Where do you see your practice in 5 years’ time? How do you intend to get there? (Max 250 words)
