Mini-pupillage for less-privileged students launched by One Crown Office Row

One Crown Office Row (1COR) is creating a mini-pupillage scheme for students and recent graduates from less-privileged backgrounds.

The scheme will have five places on offer and will launch in June 2016. As Legal Cheek reports, the mini-pupillages will only be open to students and graduates who went to state schools and also meet one of the following criteria:

• the candidate received free school meals;
• neither of the candidate’s parents went to university;
• the candidate’s family received income support; or
• the candidate has been in care or has acted as a carer for someone else.

The mini-pupillage will comprise a week in chambers and remuneration of £300 - £150 for gaining a place and a further £150 for travel and accommodation. Additional payments will also be considered if this does not meet the cost of a candidate’s travel and sleeping arrangements, meaning that the scheme is very much open to applicants nationwide.

The candidates will also be asked to complete a written assessment over the course of the week, with those who pass set to be guaranteed an interview for pupillage in 2017 and the opportunity to win a £50,000 bursary award.

Sarabjit Singh, barrister at 1COR, told Legal Cheek: “1COR decided to launch the scheme because we wanted to play our part in helping the Bar to become as diverse and inclusive as possible by attracting able university students and post-graduates from less advantaged backgrounds. We want to encourage people from such backgrounds to spend a week with us so they can get a taste of what a career at the Bar entails. We will assess them and if they are good enough, we will guarantee them an interview for pupillage (which carries an award of £50,000), which is an additional incentive for them to come to us.”