Financial concerns and discouragement from lecturers putting students off the Bar

Worries about the financial viability of working as a barrister and active dissuasion from some university lecturers are putting large numbers of students off pursuing careers at the Bar, a study by Keele University and the Inner Temple has revealed.

The research showed that many students were unable to complete mini-pupillages without funding, creating a huge barrier for less-privileged students because legal work experience is viewed as vital by many chambers. The high cost of the Bar Professional Training Course and uncertainty over the limited number of pupillage places may also be seen as cause for discouragement.

The study also claimed that university law lecturers are putting students off the Bar, citing the small number of pupillages which mean that even candidates with strong academic records will miss out. There was also a view among some universities that the Bar still favours candidates from the ‘traditional’ universities and white, privileged backgrounds – a charge that isn’t exactly debunked by a look at junior barrister rosters on chambers’ websites.

Elaine Freer, the author of the report, said: "It is clear we need more mutual understanding between potential students, higher education and the Bar to ensure that gifted students from non-traditional backgrounds do not slip through the net."

Andrew Francis, professor at the University of Leeds and the study’s supervisor, commented: "Traditional thoughts on work experience might prevent those sitting on interview panels from recognising the depth and breadth of experience that underrepresented students might have gained through other means. Our understanding of what merit is and how it is applied is often ill-defined. Interview and selection panels must be clear on what they are looking for. Otherwise the experiences of underrepresented groups can often be overlooked."