From Law Degree To Barrister: Your Path

If you're considering a career as a barrister, you'll need to be highly skilled and educated, with rigorous standards of academic achievement and top-tier skill sets. In the UK, there are three main routes to becoming a barrister: the academic, vocational, and pupillage/work-based learning components. The academic component requires an undergraduate law degree, which can be in any subject, although graduates in other disciplines may need to complete a conversion course. The vocational component involves a one-year Bar course, and the work-based learning component involves a pupillage year, split into two six-month blocks. While it can be challenging to secure pupillage placements due to their competitive nature, completing these three stages will prepare you for a career as a barrister, which offers greater independence than solicitors, above-average salaries, and deep engagement with complex areas of the law.

Academic component: a law degree or non-law degree with a conversion course

The first step towards becoming a barrister is to complete an undergraduate degree. While a law degree is not mandatory, it can shorten the time it takes to qualify as a barrister. A qualifying law degree will cover the seven foundations of legal knowledge and skills associated with graduate legal work, such as legal research.

If you have a non-law degree, you can take a conversion course, such as the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) or the Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL), to gain the necessary legal knowledge before progressing to the vocational stage. These courses are designed to provide a solid foundation in legal principles and practices, ensuring that you are well-prepared for the challenges of a career in law.

It's important to note that your undergraduate degree, whether in law or another discipline, should be completed with at least a 2:2 grade. However, keep in mind that the competition for pupillage is intense, and many successful candidates achieve a strong 2:1 or above.

Additionally, your academic qualification must be recognised by the Bar Standards Board, which approves and regulates the training and conduct of barristers. This recognition is essential to ensure that your degree meets the required standards and provides you with the necessary skills and knowledge to pursue a career as a barrister.

Vocational component: a one-year Bar course

The vocational component of becoming a barrister in the UK ensures that you obtain the specialist skills, knowledge of procedure and evidence, attitudes and competence needed to prepare you for the responsibilities associated with being a barrister. This involves completing a one-year Bar course, either in one or two parts, or as part of an integrated LLM.

Before starting the vocational component, you must join one of the four Inns of Court, which are:

• Lincoln's Inn
• Middle Temple
• Inner Temple
• Gray's Inn

You will need to have joined one of these Inns no later than three months before your Bar course starts. However, joining earlier may give you access to scholarships and bursaries that can help fund your studies.

As part of your membership, you will need to attend a series of qualifying sessions, which are designed to develop your academic and vocational training. These sessions can include advocacy courses, dinners, lectures, moots and residential weekends, and will cover topics such as ethics, standards and values, as well as equality, diversity and inclusion.

Upon successful completion of the vocational component, you will be called to the Bar by your Inn. This means you will be able to describe yourself legitimately as a barrister. However, to practise as a barrister, you will also need to complete the work-based learning component, which involves a period of supervised practical training known as a pupillage.

Work-based learning: a pupillage year, split into two six-month blocks

Pupillage is the final stage of training to become a barrister. It is a work-based learning element where you put theory into practice. Pupillage usually lasts 12 months and is split into two six-month blocks, known as "sixes". The first six months is the non-practising six, where pupils shadow a barrister or different barristers for two three-month periods. During this time, pupils accompany their supervisor to court, conferences, and consultations, as well as providing assistance with paperwork. They may also undertake advocacy exercises to develop their skills, with a focus on commercial applications.

The second six months is the practising six, where pupils can provide legal services and exercise rights of audience. They will have a provisional practising certificate and will be able to provide legal services to the public, under the supervision of their pupil supervisor(s). Pupils may start to appear in court and will have a personal caseload. This can range from first appearances in the county or magistrates' court to hearings in the High Court or Crown Court, and even full trials. Pupils are also required to complete a Practice Management Course during the second six.

At the end of the first six months, pupils need to have their supervisor sign a certificate of completion, which is sent to the Bar Standards Board. This process is repeated at the end of the second six months, after which the pupil will receive a Full Qualification Certificate. Pupillage is a challenging but rewarding stage of training, and it is important to impress members of the chambers and clerks by completing cases and satisfying solicitors.

Qualifying sessions: advocacy courses, dinners, lectures, moots and residential weekends

Qualifying sessions are an essential part of the journey to becoming a barrister. They are educational and collegiate activities that complement a student's vocational training and foster a community of professional practice. These sessions are designed to develop academic and vocational skills, forming a bridge to pupillage.

There are several types of qualifying sessions, including advocacy courses, dinners, lectures, moots, and residential weekends. Each type of session offers unique benefits and opportunities for students to enhance their knowledge and skills.

Advocacy courses provide practical training in advocacy performance skills, helping students connect with their audience and use vocal skills and body language to communicate clearly and confidently. They also cover strategies for overcoming nerves and delivering submissions with confidence.

Dinners offer a more informal setting for students to network and interact with senior practitioners, fellow students, and members of the Inn. They provide an opportunity to discuss a variety of topics, including expectations from pupillage and current topics in the legal field.

Lectures delivered by experts in the legal field cover a range of topics, such as legal research, mooting skills, preparation, advocacy, and ethical issues. These lectures enhance students' understanding of the role of barristers in the justice system and provide valuable insights into the profession.

Mooting involves participating in mock appeal trials, allowing students to practice their advocacy skills and gain experience in legal research, identifying and addressing legal issues, and forming legal arguments.

Residential weekends are intensive programs that focus on a specific legal topic, such as inquests. They are led by practitioners who are leaders in their fields, providing students with in-depth knowledge and a transformative learning experience.

To be called to the Bar, students must complete a minimum number of qualifying sessions, usually ten, covering various themes such as ethics, standards, values, legal knowledge, justice, equality, diversity, inclusion, and preparation for pupillage. These sessions play a crucial role in a student's journey to becoming a barrister, providing a blend of academic, vocational, and practical learning experiences.

Application: apply for pupillage via the Pupillage Gateway or directly to chambers

The Pupillage Gateway is a centralised online application system for aspiring barristers to search and apply for pupillage vacancies. It is a recruitment portal designed by the Bar, where any vacancy for pupillage must be advertised. It is also where 50% of Authorised Education and Training Organisations (AETOs) administer their pupillage recruitment process.

To use the Pupillage Gateway, you will need to create a login and set up a personal account. Registration is free. The Pupillage Gateway allows you to submit a maximum of 20 applications for pupillage. The user guide explains how to complete the standardised Practice Application Form, for which you will need to provide your education and grades, any relevant awards, scholarships and work experience, and a detailed account of why you think you will make a good barrister, and why chambers should choose you.

When completing applications, it is important to customise each application specifically to the barristers chambers you are applying to and check deadlines. The user guide also outlines how to start your application, how to move through it, how to save it, how to resume a saved application, how to submit it and how to edit it if you need to. Following the completion of the application period, you can check the status of your applications. For applications that are successful, you can then book pupillage interviews using the Gateway.

The Pupillage Gateway operates one application season, which opens around January each year and closes in early February. Chambers using this system then make offers at the beginning of May, about 17 months before pupillage starts.

Alternatively, you can apply directly to chambers by sending in your CV and a pupillage covering letter. There is no limit on the number of applications you can send directly to chambers. Each application must show that you know the chambers' work, and that you have the skills, knowledge and interests that they're looking for. It's the quality of your application that'll help you get to the Bar, so crafting it should take hours rather than minutes.

Frequently asked questions