Pupillage

We regard pupillage as an essential investment in the future of Chambers and the Bar. Our approach is to offer a thoroughly comprehensive training in all aspects of our work so as to ensure that our pupils are provided with the best foundation for their professional careers and are able to uphold the traditions and the standards of the Bar, further details of which are available here in the Pupillage Handbook. This includes providing comprehensive in-house advocacy training, culminating in a mock trial at the Old Bailey before a member of the judiciary and members of Chambers.

Chambers selects articulate and well-motivated individuals who can demonstrate academic excellence, high standards of presentation and communication skills, sound judgement and a practical approach to problem-solving.

Chambers offers up to 2 funded 12-month pupillages. Pupils apply for tenancy at 12 months, but this may be deferred for a further six months. In recent years we have taken on our pupils as tenants after twelve months, and after 18 months.

The application deadline for 12-month pupillages starting in September 2026 is 6th February 2025. Please see below for details of the process.

Application Process

2 Hare Court recruits its pupils in accordance with the timetable advertised on the Bar Council’s website and Pupillage Gateway. Chambers will be using the Pupillage Gateway to administer its recruitment process and, as such, applicants should apply using the link provided in 2 Hare Court’s advertisement on the site, which will be available to view from 25th November 2024. In the meantime, prospective pupils can use the Practice Application Form on the site to gain an understanding of the format their application will take and to upload relevant information in advance of the opening of the annual submissions window.

The application timetable for pupillages commencing in September 2026 is set out below and applicants are asked to make sure they will be available on these dates as we are usually unable to accommodate individual requests for a change in timetable.

Equality & Diversity Monitoring

Chambers is committed to meeting the aims and commitments set out in its Equality & Diversity Policy. To that end, and in line with the BSB Handbook, it will use the equalities information provided through the Pupillage Gateway to continuously monitor, review and, if necessary, identify appropriate remedial action relating to the number and percentages of applicants from different groups. The equalities information that candidates provide to Chambers through the Gateway will be treated as strictly confidential and will not be included in the assessment of any applications, nor will any panel members have sight of it.

An Overview of Pupillage

Chambers advertises up to two 12-18 month pupillages per year.

The funding for pupillages commencing from September 2026 onwards will be:

• £30,000 award paid in monthly instalments during your first six months.
• £30,000 guaranteed earnings during your second six months.

1st Six Months

During pupillage at 2 Hare Court you will have at any one time a junior supervisor, and a KC supervisor. You will spend four months with each team, working with three teams in total. In this way we can give you the best opportunity to experience work in different areas of crime, both defending and prosecuting, along with our other practice areas. You will share a room with one of your pupil supervisors and by moving rooms will have an opportunity to meet other members of Chambers.

During your 1st Six (and 2nd Six when you are not in court) you are expected to accompany your pupil supervisor during the working week. All pupils will spend one month with Treasury Counsel or a Treasury Counsel monitoree, where they will observe senior prosecution work of the highest calibre.

You will learn by reading briefs, preparing draft written work (e.g. case summaries, skeleton arguments, etc), carrying out legal research for your pupil supervisor and other members of Chambers and attending court and conferences. This period is not only designed to ensure that you observe work which is interesting, informative and thought-provoking, but also to ensure that you are properly prepared to begin your own practice. Chambers uses the Bar Council Checklist as the basis of the work which should be undertaken in pupillage.

Pupils have to pay for their own travel expenses within the Greater London area. If your pupil supervisor is appearing outside this area, you are not expected to accompany them at your own expense. If this occurs the pupil supervisor will make arrangements either to organise free travel for you or for you to accompany another member of Chambers.

If your pupil supervisor is absent from Chambers (or working outside the Greater London area) for a prolonged period for any reason, Chambers will arrange for you to be assigned temporarily or permanently to another member of Chambers.

2nd Six Months

The emphasis during the 2nd Six will be on your own case load. Preparation for this stage will have been comprehensive during your 1st Six and Chambers has considerable experience in ensuring that your progression to being ‘on your feet’ is accomplished smoothly.

At this stage your own practice will assume priority as far as your responsibilities are concerned, but you are still required to assist your pupil supervisor or other members of Chambers, when you have capacity to do so. During this period, you can expect to be in court most days, if not twice a day, initially in the Magistrates’ Courts but shortly thereafter in the Crown Courts where pupils will deal with matters such as pleas and directions, mentions, etc. before moving on and undertaking their own Crown Court trials.

The 2 Hare Court clerking team will ensure that work is fairly and evenly distributed between pupils, subject to the availability of the individual pupil and to the possibility of individual pupils being specifically requested by solicitors.

At 12-months, pupils will normally apply for tenancy. If they are unsuccessful at that point, they will frequently be offered a further six months. In the past an 18-month pupillage was much the most common way of gaining a tenancy, although in recent years Chambers has offered a number of pupils tenancy after 12 months.

3rd Six Months

2 Hare Court is committed to the concept of pupillage and welcomes the opportunity of enabling suitable 3rd Six pupils to gain wider experience at the Bar.

The volume of work in Chambers ensures that 3rd Six pupils enjoy a busy diary and are in court almost every day, a significant part of which is in the Crown Court. In addition, through contact with members, they have an opportunity to gain experience in different areas of criminal law as well as an insight into more complex and serious cases.

At the present time, we do not have any vacancies for 3rd Six pupils. Our website will be updated when the position changes.

Assessing Your Progress

Throughout the course of pupillage, you will be assessed for the skills set out in the selection criteria for junior tenants by your pupil supervisors, members of Chambers for whom you have carried out significant work and any members who have had the opportunity of seeing your work in court. We make every effort to ensure that the assessment process is open and fair. We are committed to a structured appraisal system thereby ensuring an open and frank discussion from which all parties can benefit. Every pupil supervisor should encourage his/her pupil to approach him/her at any time in order to discuss any difficulties that the pupil may be encountering.

In-House Advocacy Programme

In addition, Chambers runs its own in-house Advocacy Programme. The main purpose of this programme is intended to be educational, however, it does give members of Chambers the opportunity to assess the advocacy skills of pupils and it is one of many things taken into account when pupils apply for tenancy. This programme is conducted throughout the pupillage period and consists of individual monthly sessions, during the course of which pupils perform advocacy exercises in front of members of the Pupillage Committee and other tenants. Following the session members are invited to provide constructive and supportive feedback to permit pupils to further develop their advocacy skills.