Start your career at 7KBW
7KBW welcomes applications for pupillage, mini-pupillage and tenancy from talented and ambitious applicants, regardless of background.
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.
“We encourage candidates to come to 7KBW for an in-person mini-pupillage, because we consider that it is the best way to gain a sense of the work and the people that make 7KBW unique. Mini-pupillages at 7KBW are not assessed: they are an opportunity for you to find out about us.”
We offer mini-pupillages in person and (by arrangement) virtually. 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.
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.
We welcome anyone, regardless of background, who is interested in, and has the potential to succeed at, the Commercial Bar.
We assess applications for mini-pupillage by reference to the same criteria we use to assess pupillage applications, available here. We take into account the fact someone applying for a mini-pupillage may not yet have reached the stage of being eligible to apply for pupillage.
A good application is one that shows how you meet all these criteria by reference to your achievements and skills, and demonstrates why you are interested in 7KBW.
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. 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 (in any subject). If you are still an undergraduate, you should only apply once you have university-level exam or assessment results.
We are committed to the fair recruitment of the best candidates from the widest possible pool of talent and participates in a number of schemes designed to expand opportunities for students from under-represented groups to experience life in Chambers. Please click here for further information.
The deadline for the next round of applications is 23:59 UK time on 1 December 2026.
PLEASE NOTE:
Please send the application documents (completed form, CV and cover letter) in one email to [email protected].
Please include your full name in the file name of all three files: this makes it easier for us to manage the application process.
You will receive an automatic confirmation e-mail when your application has been received by us. If you do not receive a confirmation e-mail, we have not received your application safely and cannot take it into account.
This form includes the facility to give details of your results in any UK degree course examinations undertaken to date (broken down by subject, indicating percentage marks); if you cannot submit those details via the application form (for example, because you studied in a system that does not use UK degree classifications, or you took more papers than the form allows), please include them in your CV.
The form includes optional contextual recruitment questions. These enables us to take into account a candidate’s background and circumstances, where relevant, in the assessment of that candidate against the selection criteria. We award mini-pupillages solely on merit.
The covering letter should express the reasons for your interest in a career as a commercial barrister at 7KBW. It is also your opportunity to draw out from your CV relevant skills, experiences and abilities. A good cover letter for a mini-pupillage application is rarely longer than a page.
Your CV (PDF or Word format).
We have three rounds of mini-pupillage. The deadlines are usually:
In each case, your application should be received by us by 23:59 UK time on the day stated.
Any application received after that time will be reviewed in the subsequent 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.
Decisions regarding applications will be communicated as soon as possible following the end of each application period. This is usually around 4-5 weeks after the deadline. We receive more applications in each round than we can accommodate. Owing to the large number of applications, we are also unable to provide personalised feedback.
If your application for a mini-pupillage is not successful, this will have no impact on any application you may make for pupillage.
There is also no bar to re-applying for a mini-pupillage. However, if you are making a repeat application, we would strongly encourage you to take time to consider how your CV and cover letter demonstrate you meet Chambers’ selection criteria, and to consider what additional achievements and experiences you can mention.
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