Pupillage Vacancy Information
WHY US FOR PUPILLAGE?
You will receive a structured, well supported, challenging, and well remunerated pupillage experience. Outer Temple Chambers (OTC) is one of the leading civil chambers in the country. We undertake a range of the highest quality work that few other London chambers can rival.
We are recognised as market leaders in a wide range of areas, being shortlisted for or winning numerous accolades in recent years including ‘Set of the Year’ for Health & Safety, Chancery, Clinical Negligence, Disciplinary & Regulatory, Sports Law, Financial Services, Employment, Personal Injury, and Technology & Crypto Law at the Legal 500 Bar Awards.
This year, in addition to its usual pupillage vacancies, OTC is offering a specialist health department pupillage, to commence in September 2026. This pupillage will focus predominantly on OTC’s specialist areas of health work, in order to enable the candidate to forge a strong and successful practice in the healthcare field where Chambers has a longstanding pedigree. This will include exposure to the following areas:
o Personal injury – we have been a leading personal injury set for many years (Personal Injury Set of the Year 2023). We act for both claimants and defendants and deal with cases involving injuries of the utmost severity. We are instructed by many of the leading firms nationwide. Silks and senior members of the team often lead junior members in high value and complex cases, including group actions which require teams of counsel to work collaboratively. We have unrivalled expertise in a number of sub-specialist areas, including catastrophic injury claims, cross-border injury litigation, equine and Animals Act claims, industrial disease, military claims, group actions, product liability, sports law and child abuse claims. We also have several counsels appointed by the Attorney General to represent Government in high profile and complex personal injury and healthcare matters.
o Clinical negligence – we are well known for our clinical negligence expertise, acting for injured patients, medical professionals, NHS Trusts and private healthcare providers alike. Our cases cover the full clinical spectrum, from catastrophic neo-natal and birth injuries, to permanent spinal cord and brain injuries. Members regularly appear at Coroners’ Inquests, representing both bereaved families and healthcare providers. Our expertise in this area complements our related specialisms in medical regulatory and disciplinary work, and in the medical product liability area, where strong clinical knowledge and understanding is critical. The successful candidate will see a wide variety of interesting cases from the outset of their pupillage and can expect to be working on them from the get-go.
o Travel and cross-border injury – we are a top tier travel and cross-border set and have been involved in cases raising complex applicable law and jurisdictional issues. This has been an area of law that has evolved significantly since Brexit. Our members have appeared in many of the leading cases in recent years, up to Supreme Court level. We act for claimants, tour operators, insurers and other providers of travel and tourist services. OTC acts in group and class actions with a foreign element, including product liability and multiple victim accidents. We also have considerable expertise in package travel, aviation and maritime claims.
o Group litigation and product liability - we are recognised by Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 as leaders in the fields of group litigation and product liability. We represent claimants and defendants in health-related multiparty litigation. Examples include acting for claimants in metal-on-metal hip implant group litigation, and PIP breast implant litigation; for manufacturers in vaginal mesh litigation, and in relation to Thalidomide claims; for service personnel and the Ministry of Defence in various military group actions (e.g. relating to anti-malarial prescriptions, hearing loss, non-freezing cold injuries, Q Fever, Gulf War Syndrome); and on behalf of Government in relation to claims arising from hormonal pregnancy tests, Covid-19 and the Infected Blood scandal.
o Public, Court of Protection and Public Inquiries – OTC’s Court of Protection team undertakes complex capacity, serious medical treatment and welfare cases on behalf of the Official Solicitor, NHS Trusts, local authorities and direct access clients. The Public Law team regularly appear in the Administrative Court and specialist Tribunals, with a particular emphasis on local government, healthcare and social welfare matters. OTC members also frequently represent Chairs and Core Participants at Public Inquiries. Recent examples include the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, the Southport Inquiry, the Afghan Inquiry, the Brook House Inquiry and the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
o Medical disciplinary and regulatory – we have a well-established team of barristers who specialise in medical disciplinary and regulatory law. Previously awarded Professional Discipline Set of the Year, and with our members garnering successive individual awards in this field, we act for both registrants and regulatory bodies, including the GMC, NMC, GDC and HCPC – both at tribunal and on appeal to the High Court. Members also regularly represent their clients in related criminal and civil proceedings in order to ensure continuity of representation throughout.
Of course, none of these areas are mutually exclusive. Rather, they overlap – especially in complex cases – and members frequently undertake matters spanning multiple aspects of OTC’s health work. Chambers’ broad base of specialisms, and our culture of close collaboration, benefits our clients hugely. It also means that our members can have as broad or as focused a practice as they want, including from their early years of tenancy.
NATURE OF PUPILLAGE & SUPPORT
We are forward-thinking, with a collaborative, collegiate ethos and aim to be open, friendly, and approachable, treating everyone with tolerance and respect. We maintain high standards and are responsive to our clients, staff and pupils.
We have no preference for an undergraduate law degree over the one-year GDL conversion course. We look for the best candidates whatever their background.
The award for pupillage commencing September 2026 is £80k for the twelve months of pupillage. At OTC’s discretion a proportion of the award (up to 25%) is available for early drawdown during the Bar vocational training year.
Pupils can expect to sit with four pupil supervisors during the pupillage year. These seats will cover the breadth of OTC’s health work but may also include exposure to other areas of work, depending on supervisors’ individual areas of practice. Subject to supervisor capacity, we will also seek to tailor your pupillage to any areas of health work in which you have indicated a particular interest.
During the Second (practising) Six, pupils will undertake their own cases, as well as assisting their pupil supervisors with theirs.
Pupil supervisors provide regular feedback and write a report on each pupil’s overall performance - written work, potential as an advocate and general strengths and weaknesses. That report will be discussed with the pupil before being signed off and is discussed with the Head of Pupillage, forming part of a quarterly review cycle.
OTC recognises the crucial importance of advocacy training. In the First Six, pupils undergo a series of both unassessed and assessed advocacy exercises in the form of mock hearings. The emphasis is firmly on constructive feedback and building confidence for the Second Six. We also try to send pupils to marshal with our former Members of OTC who are now full-time judges. A typical diet during the practising six months would include a mix of personal injury, travel and straightforward clinical negligence matters, as well as exposure to inquest and Court of Protection proceedings. This provides a great opportunity for our pupils to gain a broad range of advocacy experience as well as the chance to deal with their own clients and opponents.
OTC has a mentoring scheme available to pupils, barristers and staff. We are keen to promote and support wellbeing and good mental health, recognising that we work in a demanding profession and that pupillage can be a particularly challenging period.
OTC will cover the cost of all compulsory pupillage courses undertaken; at its discretion it may also subsidise the cost of other pertinent non-mandatory training/events. Our commitment to developing and retaining pupils is evidenced by our high pupillage to tenancy conversion figure. We see it as important that our pupils don’t feel that they are in competition with each other – tenancy decisions are made on merit, not by competition between pupils and they are therefore encouraged to help and support each other. We also offer a guaranteed earnings scheme for our junior tenants for the first two years after an offer of tenancy is accepted by way of an interest free loan to top up earnings each month to a set amount.
A ‘True Picture’ account of pupillage at OTC can be viewed in the online Chambers Student guide to the Bar.
A FORMER PUPIL'S VIEW:
Paradoxically, pupillage is at the same time one of the most desirable and most feared experiences known to Bar students. Happily, once it started I realised that nobody bites, nobody was waiting in ambush, there was no magnifying glass trained over my head throughout the 12 months. In fact, it's quite the opposite - Chambers actually wants you to succeed and will do everything to ensure that you do....
Pupillage Award
Each pupil will be awarded a grant. The level of award for any given year will be published on Chambers’ website and in the OTC Pupillage Prospectus and will be notified to applicants at interview and in offer letters.
The award for the pupillage year 2026/27 is £80,000 for the 12 months of pupillage. Unless the pupil opts, prior to pupillage commencing, to receive the award in equal instalments throughout the twelve months of pupillage, the award is paid as follows:
a. two thirds of the award is paid by six equal monthly instalments during the first six months less any drawdown recoupment which is recovered in equal instalments during those six months (see paragraph 12 below); and
b. the remaining one third is paid during the second six pupillage by equal monthly instalments. Any earnings actually received in the 2nd six months from work done on the pupil’s own account will be deducted from the monthly instalments of the award, any such deduction being capped at an amount representing one third of the full award.
The Bar Council has agreed with HMRC that each pupil may choose in which of the two ways1 they should be taxed. The options are as follows:
a. Option 1: the pupillage award in respect of the pupil’s first six months will continue to be tax-free, but the award in respect of the second (or subsequent) six months will be included as normal professional earnings in the year of receipt;
b. Option 2: both the “first six” and the “second six” awards will be taxable in the fiscal year of receipt under the general sweep-up provisions.
At Chambers’ discretion, up to 25% of each award is available for drawdown during a pupil’s Bar Professional Training Course year. Pupils who wish to draw-down part of their pupillage award should contact the HR & Regulatory Manager. Any drawdown taken will be recouped by Chambers in the first six months of pupillage. Should a pupil not commence pupillage with Chambers for any reason, they will be required to reimburse the full amount of the drawdown. Chambers will take into account any exceptional circumstances.
The Director of Operations will discuss payment of the award as part of the induction session for new pupils.
Equality Diversity and Inclusion
If you wish your application to be considered under the Disability Confident Scheme, please ensure that you request this under the “Application Questions” section.
To be eligible to you must have – or have had in the last twelve months – a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. This includes those whose impairment has lasted, or is likely to last, for twelve months, or if the impairment is likely to progress or recur. You are also automatically eligible if you are affected by cancer, HIV, Multiple Sclerosis, or severe facial disfigurement.
You do not have to be registered as a disabled person to apply under this scheme.
If you would like to contact OTC to enquire about the accessibility of our Chambers prior making an application, please email our Accessibility Officer- Asia Gibbs (email: asia.gibbs@outrtemple.com /phone: 020 7353 6381).
How to Apply
Aspiring barristers are invited to apply to chambers between 5 January 2026 and 22 January 2026 using the Pupillage Gateway application system and applicants should make their application through the following advert on Gateway:https://recruitment.pupillagegateway.com/members/modules/job/detail.php?record=1362 September 2027 advertisement
Please note: this advert relates to OTC’s specialist health department pupillage. Chambers is advertising separately for its usual (i.e. not specialist health) pupillages. Please apply for your preferred type of pupillage: you cannot apply for both.
Additionally, for both types of pupillage, we are advertising for both September 2026 and September 2027 start dates. You are permitted to submit separate applications for those alternative start dates.
In addition to the standardised Bar Council questionnaire, candidates will be asked to respond to the following questions from Chambers:
1. 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 (1200 character limit)
2. 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. (1200 character limit)
3. Would you prefer to specialise in particular areas of OTC’s Health Department work during pupillage (and if so, which areas), or would you rather see a broader variety of work across a wide range of practice areas? Please explain your answer. (1200 character limit)
4. Persuade us of a point of view on a subject of your choice, serious or otherwise. Please note, you need not hold the view yourself. (1500 character limit)
5. Do you wish your application to be considered under the Disability Confident Scheme? Yes or No
6. Which pupillage start date(s) are you applying for? (Pick one option)
• September 2026
• September 2027
• Or both years
