Please Note: The application deadline for this job has now passed.
Pupillage Vacancy Information
About Authorised Education and Training Organisation
Selborne comprises 8 KCs and 38 juniors, specialising in various aspects of commercial and Chancery work. We provide advocacy and advice at every level of civil court and tribunal in England and Wales, as well as in domestic and international arbitrations and mediations.
Pupils at Selborne gain a wealth of practical experience throughout their pupillage whilst being trained in work across the commercial Chancery spectrum. Our cases are often technical and can seep into multiple practice areas. The work demands not just complex legal reasoning but commercial common sense and creative problem-solving.
Chambers regards pupillage as a primary source of recruitment. We invest in pupils whom we believe to be capable of matching the standards set by our current tenants.
Perhaps because of our size, Selborne has a rare informal and relaxed feel. It is an environment where members and staff socialise frequently and there is a genuine ‘open door’ policy to assist more junior members. Everyone in Chambers understands that the success of our pupils is key to our collective future, so everyone is invested in each pupil’s success.
Perhaps because of our size, Selborne has a rare informal and relaxed feel. It is an environment where members and staff socialise frequently and there is a genuine ‘open door’ policy to assist more junior members. Everyone in Chambers understands that the success of our pupils is key to our collective future, so everyone is invested in each pupil’s success.
Structure of Pupillage
Pupils will spend three months with four pupil supervisors, each with varying types of practice.
Pupils will be exposed to work across the commercial Chancery spectrum. They will be asked to prepare for and attend conferences and hearings with their supervisors, produce pleadings, write opinions and undertake legal research - often under considerable time pressure.
In addition to working for their supervisor, pupils can expect to spend time with other members of Chambers of varying levels of Call.
Unlike in many commercial and commercial Chancery sets, our pupils can expect regular court appearances and instructions in their own right during the practising period of pupillage Typically, these include Small Claims and Fast Track trials, possession hearings, winding-up petitions, case management conferences, and interim applications. Pupils also conduct some advisory and drafting work.
Financial and Other Support Available
The £75,000 award comprises the financial support provided.
Each pupil is assigned a Mentor (a junior member of Chambers who is not a pupil supervisor).
Equality Diversity and Inclusion
Selborne Chambers is committed to the promotion of equality and diversity across all aspects of our practice. We therefore encourage and welcome applicants from under-represented groups at the Bar, including women, people from minority ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities and LGBT+ people.
Further information about our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policies can be found on our website at: https://selbornechambers.co.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/
How to Apply
Aspiring barristers are invited to apply to chambers between 3 January 2024 and 7 February 2024 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:
- When did you first consider a career at the Bar? (Max 250 words)
- What single thing interests you most in a career at the Bar? (Max 250 words)
- Why do you believe you will make a good barrister? (Max 250 words)
- Why have you applied for pupillage at Selborne Chambers? (Max 250 words)
- Identify a case decided in 2023 which you consider important (and explain briefly why you think it is important). (Max 250 words)
- What will the work of a Barrister entail in 2040? (Max 250 words)
- Your favourite fictional lawyer? (Max 250 words)
