Pupillage Vacancy Information
Harcourt is a thriving family law set with a rich tradition of attracting and developing the strongest emerging legal talent. It is home to five well-known family silks and two silks who are door tenants. With premises in the Temple and Oxford, Harcourt serves a wide geographical area: principally across London, the South East and the Midlands, but also further afield. This provides opportunities for a varied and progressive practice.
Harcourt is recognized by the Chambers UK Bar Guide as a leading family law set and is described as having “a very good team of formidable advocates.” Harcourt is “an excellent set of barristers who would be my first point of call for any hearing but especially the complex ones.”
The Legal 500 ranks Harcourt as a Top Tier set with “an extremely experienced set of chambers with exceptional strength and quality of barristers’ that handles a variety of work…”
Harcourt is routinely nominated and shortlisted for awards, whether as a set or individuals. We won KC of the year two years running (2023 and 2024) as well as Junior Barrister of the Year 2024 at the LexisNexis Family Law Awards. We also were highly commended in the categories of Junior Barrister of the Year and Set of the Year – London.
Harcourt has a well-established reputation within the field of children law: encompassing public and private law arenas and international children’s cases; providing representation to parents, local authorities, extended family members, children, prospective adopters and agencies such as the Official Solicitor and the police.
The strong family finance and property team undertakes matrimonial, cohabitee and civil partnership litigation.
Further areas of expertise include: trusts, wills and inheritance disputes, divorce, nullity, Court of Protection cases, forced marriage, surrogacy domestic violence and harassment.
Members of Harcourt are often instructed in cases which are reported in the law reports and by the media and regularly give lectures and chair seminars. They have written textbooks on pensions, contact, relocation, and adoption and contribute to leading publications, such as Butterworths Family Law Service, Jordans Family Law, Clarke Hall & Morrison on Children.
Many of Harcourt’s members accept Public Access instructions and we have a growing ADR offering including family arbitration, private financial dispute resolution hearings, early neutral evaluation and mediation.
Pupillage comprises family work (children, international and finance cases). Pupils can expect to attend Court hearings very regularly with their pupil supervisors and then in their own right in the second six months. They will undertake written exercises, drafting and legal research. Harcourt also offers additional sessions of subject-matter and advocacy training sessions for pupils.
Pupillage is divided between three supervisors in four-month periods allowing the opportunity to see different work and practice styles whilst ensuring that a pupil is strongly supported and has continuity with their pupil supervisor during the transition to the practising period.
Additional support is provided to pupils before and during their pupillages by junior members of Harcourt under a “buddy system”. Pupils spend time with other members of Chambers to experience a variety of work, including Court of Appeal and Supreme Court cases. Towards the end of their first six months, pupils will accompany junior tenants so that they can experience the type of work they will undertake in their second six month practicing period.
Further details including our pupillage policy can be found here – Harcourt Pupillage Policy 2026 - 2027
Financial and Other Support Available
Harcourt is committed to supporting its pupils achieve their potential through a friendly, supportive and inclusive environment. As well as receiving support from their supervisors and buddies, pupils are fully included in the life of chambers and can expect to be invited to internal chambers events, events for clients and well-being initiatives.
We are committed to equal opportunities and diversity in all its forms. We are open to making any reasonable adjustments you may need to ensure that you can participate in our selection process fairly.
Accessibility queries should be directed for the attention of Fazeela Ishmael, acting accessibility officer.
Aspiring barristers are invited to apply to chambers using the Pupillage Gateway application system to search for the relevant Pupillage Vacancy and selecting ‘Apply for this pupillage’.
In addition to the standardized 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 (250 words)
- Why do you want to join Harcourt? In your answer, please give reasons for your choice of chambers and explain why you are interested in our areas of practice in family law (250 words).
- Please give details of your advocacy and public speaking experience (250 words).
- Tell us about a time that you have used leadership skills to solve a problem (250 words)
