Pupillage Vacancy Information
Sponsorship is available for the Bar Training Course, where the course has not started, or has only just started at the point of offer (i.e. starts during September 2023). A bursary/grant may also be available. Further details are provided on the GLP website (www.gov.uk/glp).
Salaries are subject to review and change. Currently trainee salaries in the Government Legal Department are: £30,157 (first year) and £34,460 (second year).
GLD provides its pupil barristers with a laptop and mobile phone and other working from home equipment as required. GLD is willing to consider requests for flexible working e.g. remote working for part of the week. There is funding available to meet the costs of compulsory courses during pupillage and reimbursement for pupils’ travel expenses for court attendance. Other arrangements in place to support employees may include, for example, season ticket loan, rental deposit and salary advance schemes.
Equality Diversity and Inclusion
We are looking to recruit high quality legal trainees (pupil barristers and trainee solicitors) from a wide range of backgrounds.
How to Apply
Please apply via the GLP website at www.gov.uk/glp. Please note the deadline for applications is 12:00 on Monday 17 May 2023.
Further details on the eligibility criteria, recruitment and selection arrangements are available at www.gov.uk/glp.
About AETO and Structure of Pupillage
Whether the government is creating new laws, buying goods and services, investigating mergers which could restrict competition, setting the annual budget and collecting the right amount of tax, employing people, fighting organised crime or defending its decisions in court, it needs significant levels of legal advice on a whole range of complex issues. To carry out this work, the government needs its own lawyers, who understand its business, to provide legal services to a wide client base - including a range of central government departments and other government bodies.
Providing legal advice to the government is an important element of the work. Government lawyers work alongside ministers and officials as they seek to turn government objectives into policy and law and enforce regulation. Their work is determined by the business in which their departmental clients are engaged.
The diversity of the work reflects the wide range of activities within government. These range across issues of national and international significance and across public and private law, embracing advisory and legislative work, litigation, commercial, employment, and a wealth of specialist areas.
The legal work is interesting, intellectually challenging, varied and often unique. The opportunity to be involved in creating and implementing new legislation is simply not available elsewhere. Our litigation lawyers represent the government in the highest courts – with more cases at the Supreme Court each year than any other organisation. The outcome of cases can have wide implications for government policy and even raise questions of constitutional importance.
The Government Legal Department (GLD) is offering five pupil barrister positions to start in September 2025, through the 2023 Government Legal Profession (GLP) Legal Trainee Scheme.
The training period will last two -years in total. The pupillage period (first 12 months) is likely to comprise of a six-month training seat in the department and a six-month seat in a set of external barristers’ chambers - with the focus being on the development of the competences in the Professional Statement. During the following 12 months of the training period the aim will be to provide you with wider experience of GLD’s legal work.
Whilst you can expect to be involved in the wide and interesting range of work in which your department and chambers are involved, government departments use the services of external counsel for a significant amount of their court work. There may possibly be some opportunity to conduct cases in tribunals or courts, although the extent of that opportunity will be limited and will vary between departments and teams. Those wishing to focus principally on a court-based advocacy career should bear this in mind.