I didn’t consider a career at the Commercial Bar until leaving university, in large part because I just didn’t think I fitted the mould of a “commercial barrister”. I took my A-levels at Sharnbrook Academy in Bedfordshire before going on to study law at Keble College, Oxford, encouraged by Oxford’s UNIQ programme.
However, I really enjoyed studying law, and I knew that I wanted to study the BCL (law master’s degree) at Oxford, to deepen my understanding of a variety of legal areas and to strengthen my legal analysis skills. After my undergraduate degree, I spent a year working in a non-legal field before being able to return to Oxford for the BCL.
It was during this final year at Oxford that I decided firmly on a career at the Commercial Bar. There were two main factors that led me to that decision.
First, I decided to do mini pupillages at a variety of different types of set (commercial, public, chancery, common law, family) in order to work out whether any of these were right for me. Seeing the work that barristers were doing in practice made me realise what I liked and disliked about each area (and about the Bar in general), which allowed me to make an informed decision that the Commercial Bar was right for me. I also attended various schemes run by the Inns and commercial chambers where I spoke to women at the Bar, including at 7KBW, about their careers and the application process. Those experiences made the prospect of a career as a commercial barrister seem more realistic.
Secondly, a number of the students doing the BCL alongside me were committed to applying for pupillage, which made the prospect seem more achievable – if they could do it, then I could surely do it as well!
It was during the following year, while I was a Judicial Assistant at the Court of Appeal, that I made my pupillage applications. Being a Judicial Assistant was extremely valuable – I was able to experience a wide range of commercial appellate work (picking up advocacy tips along the way) and wrote a number of bench memoranda for judges which was great preparation for writing advice during pupillage. I applied to ten commercial and commercial chancery sets during the pupillage period, and after a somewhat intense period of interviews in spring 2020 (not helped by the fact that interviews had moved online due to Covid), I ultimately chose to do pupillage at 7KBW.
The pupillage year is a challenging one in which the aim is to test your skills and stretch your abilities, in order to make you a better barrister. There’s no point denying that there were times when it felt pretty relentless. That is ultimately the nature of pupillage, whichever set you go to.
First, at 7KBW there is a commitment to training rather than testing. I can firmly say that there is no pressure to perform at the level of a ‘fully fledged barrister’ from day one, and instead it is expected that you will improve throughout pupillage. The focus is on introducing you to a wide range of work and developing your skills across Chambers’ practice areas, normally through working on the live cases that your supervisor is doing at the time. You get feedback on each piece of work that you do during pupillage, so you know what you need to work on and have the time to be able to do so within the pupillage year. My pupil supervisors also made sure that I was doing work across a broad range of practice areas, and that I was practising a wide variety of skills (e.g. drafting, advice, advocacy etc.). This meant that by the end of pupillage, I was comfortable that I had a strong foundation of knowledge that I could apply effectively as a tenant.
Secondly, while the assessments are undoubtedly the most gruelling part of pupillage, at 7KBW there is real thought placed into the manner and timing of these assessments to allow you to perform your best. During pupillage, there are three advocacy assessments and five written assessments, all of which take place during the second half of the pupillage year. They are not competitive between the pupils – every pupil gets marked independently of each other. This kept the pressure low and the comradery high between us; it was certainly encouraging that we could have a celebratory drink at the end of assessment weeks! It also helped that there was a commitment to sensible working hours throughout pupillage which extended to pupillage assessment weeks – in general, I left Chambers between 6 and 7pm every day during pupillage and I was given enough time for my work that I did not feel rushed to finish anything. The advocacy assessments were particularly valuable, as they were the only real opportunity to practise and hone advocacy skills during pupillage. There is an expectation that you will receive feedback in the first advocacy assessment and apply that going forward; perfection is certainly not required!
Thirdly, what really helped during my pupillage year was the supportive network of people within Chambers who were committed to making it as enjoyable as possible. It is true that everyone wants you to succeed, and that was made clear to me from the number of people who would check in regularly and the ‘open door’ policy of members of all seniorities who were happy to answer any and all questions I had. In particular, there are two members of Chambers in charge of pastoral care who have no say in the tenancy decision, who kept an eye on how we were doing and organised drinks and other informal social events for the pupils during the year. There is also a social committee which organises lunch every week, a breakfast and drinks event every term, as well as other social activities. There are certainly plenty of opportunities to have fun with members of Chambers during the pupillage year.
Tenancy offers are made towards the end of the third seat in pupillage. This means that during your fourth seat, you can start taking on your own matters.
I was lucky enough to be instructed as junior counsel pretty quickly on a few large commercial matters, which have taken up most of my time during my first few years of practice. Two of those cases were ones which I had worked on during pupillage, which made the transition much easier. I was working with the same teams and with the same leaders as during pupillage, and that level of familiarity really put me at ease.
I also took on a few small matters as sole counsel in my fourth seat. This allowed me to get more advocacy experience and develop my confidence in making strategic decisions. Members of Chambers, including my supervisor, were happy to answer any questions I had and to act as a sounding post, which was invaluable during those early months of practice.
Crucially, we were encouraged to take a break between the end of pupillage and start of tenancy. Pupillage is a gruelling year and it is important to take some time to unwind and reset. Taking a break (even for only one or two weeks), made the transition from pupil to tenant a lot smoother, as it meant I came back in September feeling recharged and ready to get started.
At the time of writing, I am coming to the end of my third year of practice. Over the last three years I have worked on a wide range of commercial disputes including a multi-million pound arbitration concerning a dispute under a cyber insurance policy for losses arising from a botched data migration, an arbitration concerning alleged breaches of duty by a shipping company in failing to pay sums of money to certain parties, an LMAA arbitration concerning damage to a cargo of soya beans, as well as acting for the Financial Reporting Council in a disciplinary investigation under the Audit Enforcement Procedure. At the beginning of 2024 I acted as junior counsel in a three-week trial concerning a dispute under a marine insurance policy which arose out of a vessel’s detention in Indonesia. This case was recently heard in the Court of Appeal. At the end of 2024 I appeared as junior counsel in the 12-week Russian aviation “mega trial”. I have also worked as sole counsel in a number of matters.
During pupillage, people in Chambers really went out of their way to make sure we felt welcomed and included. For example, we were invited to events happening at Chambers throughout the year like weekly Chambers tea, the Christmas drinks and the new silks’ party. On a day-to-day basis, we were regularly invited to lunch or coffee, and people would often pop into our supervisor’s rooms to check in and have a chat.
As a junior tenant, one thing I have found very positive is the relationship between the clerking team and members of Chambers. When you first become a tenant, it is difficult to judge how much work you can take on and how long work will take. What really made a difference to me when starting out was being able to have open and honest conversations about these matters with the clerks. They are without fail encouraging and accommodating, which has allowed me to feel comfortable with my practice from a very early stage.
In general, the social side of Chambers is varied yet has a relaxed quality to it. The most regular social activity is weekly lunch in hall which is organised by the Chambers social committee, though ad hoc lunches are also common. There is weekly Chambers tea which members dip in and out of, depending on work schedules. The social committee organises several events a term, including an ‘activity-focused’ social event which in the past has included Pétanque, ping pong and pizza nights.
Preparation is key. The vast majority of applicants will have similar academic records and most will have at least some work or other experiences relevant to a career at the Commercial Bar. When it comes to interviews, the same point applies. The second-round interview at 7KBW involves an advocacy exercise for which you are given one week to prepare. Use that week to the fullest extent that you can, in order to give yourself the best chance of success on the day!
For more information please contact our clerks on +44 (0)20 7910 8300 or [email protected]
