Pupillage Vacancy Information
ABOUT AUTHORISED EDUCATION AND TRAINING ORGANISATION
Temple Garden Chambers is a leading common law set based in London and the Hague with over 70 members, including 14 silks.
We are recognised by Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500 as a leading set in the fields of personal injury, costs, health and safety, inquests and inquiries, international crime and extradition, industrial disease and motor insurance fraud.
A number of our barristers are appointed to the Government Legal Department panels, as well as the CPS extradition and EHRC panels.
STRUCTURE OF PUPILLAGE
Temple Garden Chambers is committed to providing excellent training for the barristers of the future. We recognise that the continued success of the Bar and our Chambers depends upon the people we recruit and how we prepare them for taking on their own practice. It is with this in mind that we currently offer two fully-funded 12-month pupillages each year. We have an excellent track record of offering tenancies to our pupils.
We expect a lot from our pupils, who need to be quick to respond to feedback, learn new skills and develop into competent practitioners. In return we offer a structured pupillage year under the guidance of senior Pupil Supervisors, and can guarantee our pupils exposure to a wide variety of work.
Pupils have three pupil supervisors over the course of the year to ensure exposure to a wide range of Chambers’ work. During the first non-practising six months, pupils will be placed with two separate Pupil Supervisors for a period of three months each. The second six months are spent with a further Pupil Supervisor, whose work you will see alongside beginning to develop your own practice, with our support. Pupils can expect to appear in court regularly during their second six months.
Pupils also participate in oral and written advocacy assessments throughout pupillage and are provided with feedback after each assessment.
FINANCIAL AND OTHER SUPPORT AVAILABLE
We offer a pupillage award of £70,000, comprising a grant of £45,000 and guaranteed earnings of £25,000 (though it is likely you will exceed that sum). We also cover the cost of training courses required to be undertaken during pupillage.
With agreement of Chambers, £15,000 of the grant may be drawn down in advance during the Bar Professional Course.
WELLBEING DURING AND AFTER PUPILLAGE
We foster an open, friendly and supportive environment both during pupillage and beyond. Pupils are encouraged to take part in the wider life of Chambers and mix with colleagues. We place a particular focus on wellbeing of our pupils, tenants and staff. Chambers has a dedicated Wellbeing Committee and is proud to have been awarded a Certificate of Recognition by Wellbeing at the Bar.
All pupils have access to the designated Pupil Contact, a junior member of Chambers who acts as a confidential source of advice and support for all pupils. We also have an active mentoring scheme within Chambers. All tenants joining after pupillage are allocated two mentors to help them develop their practice.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
We aim to recruit pupils who we consider will, by July in their pupillage year, meet the standards that we apply in the tenancy selection process. When recruiting, we therefore look for evidence of excellence in the following areas:
- Intellectual ability
- Oral and written advocacy
- Motivation for a career at TGC
Due to the challenging nature of the work, applicants are generally expected to have a 2.1 or better at degree level.
We also look for evidence that candidates’ areas of interest will fit well with the type of work that they can expect to focus on in second six and in the early years of tenancy, which is likely to be primarily common law. Candidates who do not demonstrate sufficient interest in a common law practice are unlikely to be made an offer of pupillage.
EQUALITY DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
We believe that the profession should be representative of society as a whole. We are dedicated to improving access to the Bar for those from under-represented groups. Temple Garden Chambers is committed to promoting equality and diversity within Chambers and at the Bar. We take a proactive approach going beyond our obligations under the Equality and Diversity Rules of the BSB Handbook. Chambers takes its commitment to equality and diversity very seriously and all recruitment decisions are made in accordance with our Equality and Diversity policy. In relation to pupillage applications:
- We use blind recruitment at the sifting stage: names are replaced with numbers and sifters do not know any of the personal information that would identify gender, age, ethnicity, location etc. Sifters also attend a coordination meeting to ensure that our fair recruitment criteria are being objectively applied. The sift is then moderated to ensure consistency and fairness.
- All candidates are assessed using objective and fair criteria.
- Everyone involved in the selection process is trained in fair recruitment and selection processes.
- We take into account relevant hardships and obstacles candidates have faced when reviewing applications.
- We undertake review exercises of our recruitment processes.
Temple Garden Chambers is committed to supporting its members throughout their careers and has implemented the following measures:
- We have a parental leave policy. Our Policy is more generous than the BSB guidelines, which state that where any element of rent is paid on a flat rate basis chambers should provide a minimum of 6 months free – we allow 12 months.
- We have a flexible working policy to ensure that members can manage family responsibilities, any long-term illness or disability.
Chambers will make all reasonable adjustments to accommodate candidates. The main building, which includes the reception, the clerks’ room and all the conference rooms, is accessible by wheel-chair users, and arrangements can be put in place for use of fully accessible toilets within Temple.
If you have any particular concerns or requirements about access of any sort, please contact Chambers by emailing Sandra Preston at spreston@tgchambers.com.
VIRTUAL Q&A SESSION
Chambers is holding a virtual Q&A session on 15 January 2025, which is an opportunity for aspiring candidates to ask questions about pupillage, mini-pupillage, life in Chambers and the application process. More information about the Q&A session and how to attend can be found at https://tgchambers.com/join-us/.
HOW TO APPLY
Aspiring barristers are invited to apply to TGC between 2 January 2025 and 6 February 2025 using the Pupillage Gateway application system. In addition to the standardised Bar Council questionnaire, candidates will be asked to respond to the following additional questions from TGC.
- Why do you believe you will make a good barrister? [Max 200 words]
- Why do you want to join our chambers? [Max 300 words]
- What areas of practice are you interested in and why? [Max 200 words]
- Please choose one of the following statements, and make an argument for or against that statement, giving your reasons. [Max 400 words]
- It is right to mandate the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution in personal injury claims brought by Litigants in Person.
- The use of Closed Material Proceedings (“secret hearings”) strikes an appropriate balance between protecting the right to a fair trial and national security interests.
- Section 133 of the Criminal Justice Act should be amended to provide compensation in all wrongful conviction cases.
- Please use this answer to make us aware of any particular hardships or obstacles which you have faced in pursuing a career at the Bar. [Optional - max 200 words]
