Thinking about the Bar?

After 25 years of being a senior clerk and having dealt with many students and pupils over the years, I am now in a position to give students an insight into the workings of a pupillage selection panel. I was first approached by Carl Lygo, group CEO and principal of the BPP University College, to fill a gap in students' education. Carl saw that I could bring BPP students an inside glimpse into what is actually happening in chambers all over the country at this time of year.

On 1 April you will be able to submit your application for pupillage. I would like to give you some ideas on what chambers will be looking for to convince them to bring you in for an interview and what you can expect if you reach that stage.

Application

Pupillage committees will be sifting through hundreds of virtually identical application forms. The majority of students applying will probably have done "everything", so it can be difficult to stand out in a positive way. On the flipside, applicants without certain boxes ticked will immediately stand out in the wrong way and may automatically be excluded from the next stage. You need to think about what might be missing from your application.

The committees want to see that you have advocacy experience, mooting, debating and mini-pupillages, not just in your desired field, but in other areas too. Doing so may allow you to answer the all-important question, "Why crime?" (or whichever practice area it may be) with, "Because I did a week at a family law set and felt that it wasn't for me for the following reasons."

Practical case experience is important and something that chambers like to see. Lots of students get involved with the Free Representation Unit (FRU) or similar, but they often only undertake the training and do not actually take a case on. Chambers are alive to this and will quiz you on the case(s) you have done. If you have not done a case, you will look lazy at best and duplicitous at worst - either way, it'll spell the end of your application. Anything you can do that shows you worked on case X or helped a lawyer to prepare case Y will make you more appealing and invite interest.

First-round interview

You will receive notification of your interview and immediately experience fear, trepidation and excitement. You will then wonder, "Where did I put that chambers' application form?" Hopefully, you will have tailored each application to each chambers. It is key that you can recall what you put on that application because undoubtedly you will be quizzed on it.

Basic questions that you are likely to face at interview include:

• Why do you want to be a barrister?
• Why do you want to come to these chambers?
• Why should we choose you?
• Why this area of law?

All boring and basic, but there is no excuse for not having an answer lined up to any of them. Usually only one or two are asked, but they are asked!

Some chambers keep the same format each year, beginning with a law question then a general question and finally an ethical question. Make sure you know if there have been any new developments in the relevant area of law. It may help to find out if anyone you know has previously had an interview at the chambers and ask them about it.

At this stage, chambers are more interested in you - or, rather, they want to be interested in you. They will want to know what you have done, why you did it and what you have learned. They want to be impressed. This interview is not an interrogation; try and relax enough to show some of your personality, assuming that you have one! You should be able to explain when asked about something that you did, what you learnt and how that experience would help you at the Bar. Single word answers are a disaster. Do not mention that you can think on your feet and then fail to do so when under pressure!

Second-round interview

This will certainly involve some form of an advocacy exercise. Again, try and find out if someone else you know has attended a second-round interview. Most chambers will keep to a particular format and/or type of exercise.

Do try and speak to the clerks before you attend. Mention that you have a second-round interview and enquire about who is on the panel (usually the pupillage committee). This will give you a chance to look them up on their website or elsewhere, and gain knowledge of the panel and the work that each individual does.

Finally, rehearse your advocacy skills, preferably with a barrister. Mock interviews are a must; the more you do the more confident (not arrogant) you will be.

William Lavell is BPP's specialist student mentor for the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC). He offers further tips in his Innsider blog.