Mini-pupillage: what is it and what are the benefits?

Dear Oracle

I want to become a barrister; do I need to complete a mini-pupillage? What are the benefits of doing one?

The Oracle replies

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Mini-pupillages are a period of short work experience in a barristers' chambers. They normally last between a couple of days and up to a week, depending on the chambers in question, and will vary in structure. While chambers don’t require a set number of mini-pupillages to have been completed for a candidate to be considered for pupillage, getting a few under your belt provides fantastic opportunities and insights into what life at the Bar is really like. So, yes, we’d recommend trying to secure a few if you can.

Here are four benefits to completing a mini-pupillage!

1. It rules out other interests and introduces new areas of law

It can be difficult to make a decision on the area of law you want to work in based solely off modules you’ve completed at university, or online research. So, securing a spot on a mini-pupillage can help you to make a more informed decision when it comes to qualifying and building a practice in a specific area of law.

As with any work experience, a mini-pupillage is a great way “to consider what type of work you may and may not like to do”, says a Antonia Eklund from Blackstone Chambers. It can be useful to complete more than one mini-pupillage where possible as you’ll learn about lots of different areas of law at the various types of chambers (for example commercial sets and common law ‘mixed’ sets) and develop an understanding of the work that barristers at these types of chambers are involved with.

As well as using a mini-pupillage to identify the areas of law you do and don’t like in practice, they’re also a great way to discover new areas of law. For example, Rabin Kok from South Square completed mini-pupillages “at a variety of chambers that specialised in different areas of practice (eg, chancery, commercial, tax and public law) to get a feel for what a day in the life of a barrister practising in each of these areas was like”. 

This breadth of experience can be particularly helpful for students from a non‑law background. As Fiona Stewart from Queen Elizabeth Building explains, mini‑pupillages enable “you to explore areas of law you’re unlikely to study, especially if you do a [law conversion course]”.

2. Get a feel for chambers and its culture

Getting to know more about different practice areas is essential, but you should also ensure the chambers has a good feel about it. Naturally, this will be subjective, which is why experiencing a chambers firsthand is crucial.

As Hannah Daly from 4 New Square outlines: “It’s so important to get a feel for chambers – after all, you must be able to stomach at least a year there and maybe a lifetime!” Make the most of opportunities to speak with other barristers and ask any questions you might have about the job, culture and chambers’ values before you decide whether to apply for pupillage.

As we often emphasise on LawCareers.Net, there’s only so much that a website or brochure can tell you, so experiencing a workplace for yourself is necessary for you to make up your own mind.

3. Learn about the day-to-day life of a barrister and pupil

At university, you may have been involved in mooting and attended law fairs or chambers open days but a mini-pupillage is the first real chance you’ll have to see first-hand what life at the Bar actually looks like. “I think that they’re a really valuable opportunity to learn about aspects of a career as a barrister that are otherwise difficult to discover,” Sam Glover from Pump Court Tax Chambers explains. Meanwhile, Harry Samuels from XXIV Old Buildings notes that mini-pupillages are “your first real glimpse into the day-to-day life of a barrister, and the only time before pupillage you get to sink your teeth into real papers and real problems in a particular practice area”.

So, while you might love the idea of a career in IP law, identifying whether that’s as a solicitor or barrister is key – completing a mini-pupillage is one of the ways that can help you to do this. A mini-pupillage could help you to determine whether you prefer the advocacy, independent working style of a barrister compared to the teamwork and client-facing role of a solicitor. There are obviously many elements that make up the job of a solicitor and barrister that overlap, but there are distinctive factors between the two sides of the profession too, and it’s your job to find out which suits your working style and personality best.

Read LawCareers.Net’s Meet the Lawyer (solicitor and barrister) interviews to find out what attracted practising lawyers to their side of the profession.

Plus, find out the difference between working as a solicitor and barrister on LawCareers.Net’s Beginner’s hub.

4. It supports your application forms and interviews

Having completed a mini-pupillage, or several, you should take some time to reflect on your experiences. Consider what you learnt, what you liked and didn’t like, and use this new-found information to your advantage when making pupillage applications.

Not only are mini-pupillages a great way to demonstrate your “commitment to a career at the Bar in applications”, as Antonia puts it, but they’re also a valuable way to “begin to develop certain legal skills, which helped me in the pupillage recruitment process.” Chambers will be able to differentiate between answers that are original and those that are vague or more generalised.

However, Gabriel Barton-Singer from 4 Pump Court shared a word of warning based on his own experience: it’s better to be strategic with mini‑pupillages than to take on as many as possible. As he puts it: “I did rather too many of them, which I wouldn’t recommend. I’d suggest trying to do between four to six mini-pupillages and, even if you think you’re sure on a particular area, to inject some variety into the mini-pupillages you apply for.”

Gabriel also highlighted how competitive the process can be, emphasising that rejection is normal and persistence is key: “The opportunities will come if you keep at it.”

How to get a mini-pupillage?

As you already know, securing pupillage is no mean feat but landing yourself a few mini-pupillages will certainly put you in good stead – for the four reasons above and more.

You can find a list of chambers offering mini-pupillages via LawCareers.Net’s Pupillage search:

• click ‘+ Show more filters’;
• in the ‘Mini-pupillages offered’ drop down, select ‘Yes’; and
• hit ‘Search’ to scroll through a list of chambers that offer mini-pupillages.

You can also check individual chambers’ websites to see what opportunities they have and visit the Barristers hub on LawCareers.Net for more information and advice on pursuing a career at the Bar.

Good luck!

Ellie Nicholl (she/her) is senior content and engagement coordinator at LawCareers.Net