US law firm Fried Frank trains pupil barristers in-house

US law firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson has launched an in-house pupillage scheme.

The firm’s first pupil barrister commenced the year-long training period in September, with the recruitment process for a second pupil set to open in the near future. The pupils’ salaries are said to be comparable with those offered by reputable commercial sets.

A major motivation in Fried Frank’s application to the Bar Standards Board to be allowed to provide in-house pupillages was to encourage other organisations beyond traditional barristers’ chambers to provide pupillage, as used to be more common. Speaking to Lawyer 2B, Fried Frank dispute resolution partner and qualified barrister James Kitching said: “One of the things that has happened in the last 10 to 15 years is that in-house pupillages [have] virtually disappeared. In the past many big companies offered internal pupillages, but that has just died out. We think pupils are great: their drafting skills are great, their presentation skills are relevant, and we increasingly do a lot of our own in-house advocacy, and we really want to encourage the reinvigoration of employed pupillages, especially at a time when the number on offer at the self-employed bar is shrinking.”