Mini pupillage
7KBW offers a combination of intellectually stimulating work across all fields of commercial law and a friendly, supportive environment for pupillage and tenancy. We recognise that mini-pupillages are a valuable way for prospective applicants to experience what life and practice in 7KBW are like and to break down barriers to entry to the Bar.
We encourage any individual who wishes to find out more about a career at the Commercial Bar and at 7KBW in particular to apply for a mini-pupillage.
If you are thinking about applying for a mini-pupillage, please read this section of our website carefully: it contains information that will help you to make the strongest possible application.
What to expect
We offer mini-pupillages in person and (by arrangement) virtually. We encourage candidates to come to 7KBW for an in-person mini-pupillage, because we consider that that is the best way to gain a sense of the work and the people that make 7KBW unique.
Your mini-pupillage will take place over one day. You will meet a junior barrister from 7KBW, who will give you a commercial law case or legal problem to read and discuss together. You will also meet a more senior barrister (either a King’s Counsel or a senior junior) and a senior clerk, to give a broader insight into the opportunities legal practice at 7KBW offers. If you opt for a virtual mini-pupillage, these meetings will take place via video call.
Mini-pupillages at 7KBW are not assessed. They are an opportunity for you to find out about us. It is not essential that you apply for a mini-pupillage before applying for pupillage, but we strongly encourage you to do so.
No-one should be discouraged from considering a career at the Commercial Bar because they lack means: 7KBW will pay reasonable travel and accommodation expenses (up to £250) for in-person mini-pupils.
What we are looking for
We assess applications for mini-pupillage by reference to the same criteria as 7KBW uses to assess pupillage applications. You can find those criteria in the pupillage section of our website at https://7kbw.co.uk/pupillage/selection-criteria/.
A good application is one that shows how you meet all these criteria. We encourage you to take the time to think carefully about this when preparing your application: there is no single way to meet any criterion, and our experience is that candidates can often find inventive ways to demonstrate meeting the selection criteria . We welcome anyone, regardless of background, who is interested in, and has the potential to succeed at, the Commercial Bar. All offers are made strictly on merit.
When you come to apply for mini-pupillage, you should be studying for, or should already have, a university degree.
We welcome applications from both law and non-law undergraduates; non-law graduates doing, or about to do, a graduate degree or conversion course in law; transferring solicitors and foreign lawyers; and law graduates in other professions.
If you are still an undergraduate, we recommend that you only apply after you have some university-level exam results.
How to apply
To apply for a mini-pupillage, please send the following:
(a) a covering letter expressing the reasons for your interest in the Commercial Bar and 7KBW, and stating which period you are applying for; and
(b) a full CV, which should include results achieved in any degree course examinations undertaken to date (broken down by subject, indicating percentage marks, where possible)
Applications, which should be marked for the attention of “The Secretary to the Mini-Pupillage Committee”, should be sent via email to mini-pupillage@7kbw.co.uk.
Please ensure that your cover letter and CV are sent as Word or PDF attachments to your e-mail.
When to apply
We have three rounds of mini-pupillages:
- For those wishing to complete a mini-pupillage between 1 January and 30 April, applications should be made by 1 December in the preceding year.
- For those wishing to complete a mini-pupillage between 1 May and 31 July, applications should be made by 1 March.
- For those wishing to complete a mini-pupillage between 1 September and 14 December, applications should be made by 1 July.
In each case, your application should be received by us by 2359 UK time on the day stated. If we receive your application after this, it will be considered for the next round.
Applications in each round are reviewed at the end of the period.
In our experience, demand is usually greatest for the application round between 1 January and 30 April, which coincides with the Pupillage Gateway applications window. Please note that if you apply to us for that round, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to accommodate successful candidates before the Pupillage Gateway applications deadline.
After the deadline has passed for the application round, you will be invited to complete a contextual recruitment questionnaire. This enables us to take into account a candidate’s background and circumstances, where relevant, in the assessment of that candidate against the selection criteria.
Decisions regarding applications will be communicated as soon as possible following the end of each application period. We receive more applications in each round than we can accommodate and are unable to accommodate every applicant.
If your application for a mini-pupillage is not successful, this will have no impact on any application you may make for pupillage.
Access to the Bar schemes
7KBW is committed to promoting diversity at the Bar and actively seeks to encourage individuals from a wide range of backgrounds to consider, and pursue, careers at the Commercial Bar.
In recognition of the importance of widening access to the Commercial Bar, 7KBW participates in several schemes administered by other organisations that offer placements, including:
- Middle Temple’s Access to the Bar Awards for undergraduate and postgraduate students from backgrounds that do not traditionally encourage aspirations for the Bar, details of which can be found on Middle Temple’s website at https://www.middletemple.org.uk/becoming-barrister/access-bar-award.
- Inner Temple’s Pegasus Access and Support Scheme for students from backgrounds currently under-represented at the Bar, details of which can be found on Inner Temple’s website at https://www.innertemple.org.uk/becoming-a-barrister/how-to-get-involved/pass/.
- Bringing [Dis]Ability to the Bar (BDABar), which supports a mini-pupillage programme for aspiring barristers with disabilities: https://www.bdabar.org/.
- 10000 Black Interns, which offers six-week paid internships. In the legal sector, these are split across a variety of chambers and other organisations. Details can be found at https://www.10000blackinterns.com/.
In each case, 7KBW provides mini-pupillage placements in Chambers-pupillage which are organised by the relevant scheme: you will need to apply directly to the administering organisation and not to Chambers. The administering organisations also provide additional training, support or other placements, which vary from scheme to scheme.
7KBW recognises the value of these schemes as additional ways to promote access to and participation in the Commercial Bar. They stand alongside Chambers’ commitment to offering mini-pupillages to outstanding candidates from diverse backgrounds: candidates who would be eligible to participate in these schemes (or who have already participated in these schemes) are welcome and encouraged to apply directly for a mini-pupillage.