1. Your Name Your Chambers/Employer
Becoming a Barrister
Your Name
Your Chambers/Employer

2. What we will cover: Myths about the Bar;
What a Barrister actually does;
The route to becoming a barrister; and
Where to go for further information

3. Myths about the Bar… Barristers are upper/middle class, white men
Barristers are all “fat cats” earning £500 per hour
Barristers talk in legal jargon, incomprehensible to normal people
Barristers spend all of their time in court
Barristers bully witnesses and try to trip up genuine victims
Barristers see it as a game – otherwise how could they represent people they know are guilty?
Use Myths as an opportunity to explain what barristers do.
Note: Diversity: 35% of barristers are women; At entry level about 50% of pupils are now women whilst 20% are from ethnic minority backgrounds
Earnings: explain earnings range depending on the type of work you are doing. Mention barristers also undertake pro bono work.
Explain the importance of being able to explain what is happening to lay clients
Outline the type of work barristers do outside court, e.g. conferences, writing opinions etc. [also covered in next slide]
Opportunity to discuss barristers’ code of conduct, honesty/integrity etc.; not misleading the court and not undermining public confidence in justice

4. What is a Barrister? A specialist legal adviser
Advises on evidence and the strengths and weaknesses of a case
Work involves:
Conducting cases and advocacy in court
Conferences and paperwork
Training junior entrants to the Bar
Re: ‘Akin to a doctor and a consultant’ can say to students barristers are like consultants (know a lot about small specialised areas) and sols are like GPs (know a little about a lot))

5. What is the difference between a solicitor and a barrister?
Barrister Solicitor
There is now much less of a distinction between the two legal professions, but:
Barristers wear a wig and gown
Akin to a doctor and a consultant’ can say to students barristers are like consultants (know a lot about small specialised areas) and sols are like GPs (know a little about a lot))
A barrister is entitled to exercise a right of audience before EVERY court in relation to ALL proceedings [some solicitors i.e. Solicitor-advocates now also undertake advocacy in court]
A solicitor deals directly with the client [acknowledge the profession is changing so now some barristers do this too through direct access]

6. What is…? Call A Junior barrister A Silk A Self-Employed Barrister
An Employed Barrister
Chambers
Circuits
A Specialist Bar Association
Call – Barristers are called by their Inn after completing the vocational part of their training. A barrister’s experience is measured in the level of Years’ Call
Junior Barrister – what we call a barrister who hasn’t taken Silk
Silk – an experienced barrister, who is a member of the Queen’s Counsel and has the suffix of Q.C. after their name. They are entitled to wear silk gowns! (Please note: approx. only 10% of the profession are Q.C.’s)
Self-employed barrister – 80% of the Bar is made up of Self-Employed barristers.
An employed barrister – 20% of the Bar is made up of employed barristers. Employed barristers provide legal advice within numerous organisations and will usually be based in the corporate headquarters of that organisation. Some of these organisations are based in the third sector, such as the Government Legal Service, local authorities or the CPS. Barristers employed by the Armed Forces or the Foreign & Commonwealth Office may find that there are opportunities to work abroad. Other employed barristers work in private practice in law firms or in-house for national and international companies.
Chambers - Most self-employed barristers group together in sets of chambers, enabling them to share office space, staff costs and other overheads.  
Circuits - England and Wales are divided into six regional ‘Circuits’, which act as local hubs for barristers outside of London, running training and social events.
Specialist Bar Associations (SBA’s) - membership organisations for barristers, focused on a specific area of law, such as crime, chancery, commercial, family or personal injury.  

7. What skills do you need to become a Barrister?
Written and oral communication skills
Numeracy skills
Analytical skills
Interpersonal skills
IT skills
Organisational skills
A good memory
Remaining professional, discreet and emotionally uninvolved
Ability to think logically and with attention to detail
Ability to cope with stress and pressure
Academic ability
GCSEs
A-Levels
Degree
Professional examinations (BPTC)

8. Currently three key stages to qualify as a barrister:
You need good A-levels in strong academic subjects
Academic Stage: a 2:1 degree (3-4 years)
Either an undergraduate degree in law (LLB), or an undergraduate degree in any other subject followed by the conversion course
Vocational Stage: Bar Professional Training Course (1 year)
* After completing your BPTC course, and the requisite number of qualifying sessions (as mentioned in the slide after), you will be “called to the Bar” by your Inn of Court
Work Based Training or Pupillage Stage (1 year)
After completing pupillage you obtain tenancy at a chambers or employment (as an employed barrister)

9. The Inns of Court Inns of Court Lincoln’s Inn Middle Temple
Inner Temple
Gray’s Inn
Providing:
Scholarships
Dining Sessions (training)
Advocacy training
Competitions
Lectures
Social events
Inns of Court
This is the Hogwarts/Harry Potter logo [for use if appropriate for your audience and depending on your style of presentation]
Although the Inns are all located in London, they have strong links across England and Wales and all over the world.
Every barrister must join an Inn before they start the BPTC (vocational stage of their training).
The Inns are steeped in tradition but provide extensive library and IT facilities, support for barristers and student members and ongoing training, particularly advocacy coaching.
The Inns are one of the major sources of financial assistance to students who are training for the Bar.
One of the formal functions of the Inns is to Call new barristers to the Bar, once their training is complete. Once you are Called at a particular Inn, you will have a relationship with that Inn for the rest of your career at the Bar or the judiciary, if you become a judge.
Before you can formally become a barrister, alongside passing the BPTC, you need to complete twelve ‘Qualifying Sessions’, which are run by the Inns. These sessions range from lectures and advocacy training to formal dinners with educational components.

10. Preparing to become a barrister: At University
Year 1 of your degree…
Find out as much as you can about the profession by attending law fairs and Inn of Court education outreach events.
Get any work experience you can e.g. in Chambers, in-house law departments, and also apply for work experience in solicitors’ firms
Apply for Marshalling
Participate in public speaking, mooting and debating.
Note: Chambers don’t usually offer mini-pupillages to 1st year students

11. Preparing to become a barrister: At University
Year 2…
Autumn Term – attend careers events.
Spring Term – Apply for mini-pupillages etc.
If applying for the conversion course, do so before the February closing date
Attend legal career fairs and pupillage fairs
Summer Term – undertake work experience

12. Preparing to become a barrister: At University
Final year of degree
Autumn Term – Apply for the BPTC (
Investigate funding possibilities, i.e. Scholarships. Deadlines are the first Friday in November of final year.
Start making enquiries about pupillage.
Spring Term – Apply for pupillage via the Pupillage Gateway (
Summer Term – Join one of the four Inns (compulsory) before 31 May of the year you start the BPTC. Explore further scholarship opportunities with your BPTC provider.
Obtain degree (aim for 2:1 or above) or finish GDL (conversion course).

13. Vocational Stage: The Bar Professional Training Course
Approximately 1,500 students per annum
13 providers throughout the England & Wales
Currently one year of full time study or two years' part time study
Before starting the BPTC, you must successfully pass the Bar Course Aptitude Test (BCAT). This tests students' critical thinking and reasoning - the core skills required for the BPTC.
Teaches case work skills, written skills, advocacy, interpersonal skills and legal knowledge.

14. Work-Based Training: Pupillage*
The training period is twelve months
First six months involves shadowing your pupil supervisor (known as “First Six”)
Second six months involves conducting your own cases under the supervision of your pupil supervisor (known as “Second Six”)
On completion apply for and gain tenancy.
If you don’t gain tenancy, you can consider doing a “Third Six” pupillage.
*Competition for pupillage is fierce! There are currently 400 places on offer for applicants

15. How to make yourself stand out
Excellent grades
Work experience (known as mini-pupillages)
Marshalling a judge
Pro-bono work
Debating
Mooting
Extra-curricular activities
Interests other than the law
Commitment and dedication

16. Some Scary Statistics
Some universities receive up to 30 applications for each place on their Law degree
The BPTC can cost up to £19,000
Each Chambers receives up to 450 applications every each year for 1, or sometimes 2, pupillage
places

17. How much can a Barrister earn?
Minimum of £12,000 for your pupillage year (it can be as much as £70,000 depending on practice area/chambers)
£30,000 - £1,000,000 per annum (gross figure*) - again this depends on your practice area (it can be more!)
You can be paid on the basis of an hourly rate, a brief fee, etc.
* when practising from chambers a proportion of your gross income is deemed as a mandatory Chambers’ contribution i.e. paid towards chamber’s rent.

18. Bar Council Opportunities
Bar Placement Week: Students spend three days shadowing their barrister in chambers and in court. On the final day of the scheme, students attend talks by barristers and/or judges, and receive advocacy training from the Inns of Court College of Advocacy
Takes place in February in Manchester
Takes place in July in Birmingham, Bristol and London
Careers days: Full day programmes for students to meet practising barristers, ask questions, and do a case study in law.
These take place in London, Cardiff, Birmingham and Leeds/Manchester (rotated each year).
E-Mentoring: For sixth-form and first-year university students from non-traditional backgrounds. Mentees are paired directly with experienced barristers, to learn more about life at the Bar through the online platform.

19. Where can I find more information?
– chambers directory