Current affairs can have a huge bearing on UK law. Bring your personal and family life experiences to interview and into your Having relevant questions for pupillage interview panels demonstrates that you have a genuine interest in their chambers. Debate-related pupillage interview questions are more difficult to prepare for, but you wont be expected to solve a specific problem in two minutes. For all the latest commercial awareness info, and advance notification of Legal Cheek's careers events: Follows letter from wannabe barrister first reported by Legal Cheek, Aspiring barrister Noah Gifford describes common practice among chambers as insulting in open letter. This does not mean to say you will not be brilliant in another application or another career if you decide to move, but failure is just something you are going to have to get used to mortifying, humiliating and painful as it is, because it will be part of your working life. The standard CV drill, so know your CV well and describe your experiences. Chambers websites, and the individual barristers pages on those websites, are good, but online directories will give you an idea which areas those chambers really have their reputation in. If you are able to find out, look up the barristers and see who they are. Try to react positively and dont be afraid to stick to your point. However, as long as you prepare properly for a pupillage interview, there's always a chance that you're the lucky applicant. If you are doing a mini-pupillage or attending an advice session run by the Inns or your Bar Course provider or otherwise have access to a barrister, ask them what the best and worst aspects of their practice area are, what they think are the key skills in practice and if you have an idea about the work, test it out on them first before you use it in an interview. Its important to know your CV inside-out and to be prepared to demonstrate hard evidence of how your skills can add value to the chambers you are interviewing with. Second round interviews are more intensive, and candidates are usually given a set of papers to review, following which they present an argument to the interview Panel. Chambers are only able to interview a small minority of applicants. Even if its something as simple as, Roughly how long does it take for your junior tenants to start appearing regularly in the Crown Court? If you really cant think of a good question, dont ask a bad one. But the same basic social rules apply in both circumstances make eye contact by looking into your webcam when answering questions and take note of everyones names so that you can speak to them individually throughout the different stages of the interview. This way, you can give feedback that is specific, relevant, and concise. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. So you cant really give a wrong answer; you just need to be able to argue in support of it. So it can be helpful to set yourself at ease. The cookie is set by the email marketing service MailChimp. Your CV and experiences will form the basis of pupillage interview questions you are asked. Tip 1: Google and thoroughly research your chambers. Mine certainly did, as I was sure I did not want to do crime, but it turns out I love advocacy and my criminal pupillage meant for daily fun and excitement. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". For example: You have accepted pupillage with one set of chambers. Barristers in chambers often work as a collective to solve problems. Some questions you could be asked include: This question is asked to assess your advocacy skills and your ability to present a reasoned, logical, compelling and well-structured argument. Others might feel like they know what they want to do and may opt for very niche areas. 10 Examples Of Interview Feedback You Can Use In Your Next Interview Quite a lot of what is being tested in these interviews is how agile are you in your thinking, how responsive you are to new thoughts and ideas, how adaptable you are to changing circumstances and how unflappable you are in circumstances where a new idea is being introduced. I interviewed at Zaid Ibrahim & Co (Kuala Lumpur) in Feb 2023. Applying for pupillage has dominated my Januarys and Februarys for the past two years and I wanted to share one incredibly frustrating experience I have had following the latest round of applications/interviews. Some examples include: The first question an interview panel is likely to ask you is why do you want to be a barrister? littlelegsldn. Dont be. This quiz is designed to give you a helpful steer as to which practice area you might be suited to. Result Lastly, tell the interview panel about the results of your actions and what those results say about you as a candidate. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. *Please bear in mind this was five years ago, a lot has changed since then and there are plenty of resources and organisations you can reach out to for assistance these are detailed in the article below. Dont just put stuff on your form for the sake of making it stand out. 30 pupillage interview questions (plus example answers) When you're done with your law degree and want to become a barrister or advocate, the next stage is often a pupillage. If youre unsure how to answer a question, dont panic. We a legal jobs marketplace exclusively for paralegals, law support staff and law firms only. When you want to apply for pupillage you need to factor in where you are in your studies and what Like so many others applicants, I failed to secure a pupillage this year which in itself is very frustrating and disheartening (to say the least). How to deal with pupillage rejections - The Guardian As someone who has been applying for pupillage for over four years, made over 70 applications, and interviewed over nearly 30 times, point #10 is by far the point that resonates with me the most. What you can do however is make sure you are well rested and relaxed, as this will be more conducive to a good interview . For several interviews thereafter, I cleared my throat and proudly declared my thirst for justice, passion for advocacy and burning need to help the helpless, voice the voiceless and improve the unimprovable. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". The response was incredible. Tip 2: It can be a daunting experience to be presented in front of a panel of barristers asking questions.So it can be helpful to set yourself at ease. Why then make it so hard to become a barrister? The cookie helps in reporting and personalization as well. In fact, the very best advice it has to offer in these situations is to be found on the cover. Failing that, tickling the ego of your interviewers with a non-grovelly acknowledgment that the chambers is a leading set (all sets like to consider themselves leading) in the particular area of practice is a reasonably safe line. I find this poor. The pupillage interview process how best to prepare for your pupillage . They are as follows: Treat it like an exam and make time to revise for your interview. Line up a few of these during your interview prep. The application process begins with a two-day mini pupillage (or if necessary a virtual mini pupillage of one and a half days). Dont be intimidated. Pupillage Interview Questions: Examples | The Lawyer Portal So when you are asked questions, to probe your answer, it is really important not to think that this is not some underhand attempt to trap you to give a wrong answer and it is equally important not to think that changing your mind in response to a question or suggestion is always a bad thing or means that you are revealing some failing. Pupillage interview questions tend to fall into several categories, starting with general questions. Surely, the least chambers can do to support those battling incredible odds to try and enter a profession which is becoming harder and harder to enter every year, is to provide feedback to those who fall at the final hurdle. . The Panel are looking to assess your raw intellectual competence, your ability to digest and consider information and your oral advocacy. This cookie is set by linkedIn. There may be other reasons for it, but sometimes we just do not spot your potential. There obviously isnt one solution to this kind of question: the real issue is your mind going blank (Im quite sure mine would). The cookie is used by cdn services like CloudFlare to identify individual clients behind a shared IP address and apply security settings on a per-client basis. Prepare for this by thinking about how barristers you may have seen in mini-pupillages did this, and what you would change about that. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. You must take responsibility for accessing all the information there is on the web, Bar School, Chambers, Inns and the Bar Council that you understand what the process is about. None, Im afraid, will stand you out in the memory of the panel. For example, Britains exit from the European Union changed the way the legal system has to operate. P - Practise It is very different to have thought about your answers and even to have them written down but it can feel very different when you say them out aloud. Typically, sets will have first and second round interviews. Follow SBs advice. Used by Microsoft Advertising as a unique ID for visitors. They want you to give the right answer and to respond well to their questions. Google them and everyone. If you narrow down your options too much, you might be missing opportunities for yourself. We dont expect you to know anything about that, but commercial practice more generally). We hope the above helps and we would love to hear from you in the comments below if it does. This will help you to learn from your interview experience, so that next time, you have a greater chance at success. This is in the hope that the small suggestion I make below for improving the process for applicants (and, as I see it, raising the standards of the profession as a whole), will be considered. You might be asked about something specific to the type of work done by the chambers to which you are applying. This is important because, if you get an offer but you felt like you were not really yourself in the interview, things may not work out there. Answers are more impressive when supported by experience of the Bar and the law. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. They ought to be making reasonable adjustments for you. Smile. Buff up your strong points. They show that you are human, intriguing and the kind of person that the interviewer actively wants to find out more about. Tip 5: You only need one good day. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile. Legal Cheek has reviews and ratings of many sets (some specifically from a pupillage perspective). See examples of competency-based questions, Find out how to answer questions about legal news, Get prepared for whatever the interviewer throws at you. It sounds obvious, but nerves in interview upend the most poised performers in your advocacy classes. Part of the Dukes Education family Together we're extraordinary.