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Last years pupils, Michael Selway and Daniel Neill, write:
The first six
I spent most of my first six months of pupillage at Guildhall Chambers with my pupil supervisor, either in his office or in court. When my pupil supervisor went to court, I was able to see his papers and read into the background of the particular case beforehand, so I was aware of both the facts and law involved in it. This was extremely useful, as it meant that I could fully understand what I saw in court, and I learned a great deal about the way in which my pupil supervisor and his opponents used the material that they were given to present their respective cases.
For most of the time, however, I was not in court but in Chambers, doing various pieces of paperwork. My pupil supervisor would hand me a set of papers that he had been sent by his solicitors, and I would be given the time to fully research the relevant points of law and write my opinion on the case, as if I was advising the solicitors ‘for real’. To have the opportunity to research some fascinating areas of law (including rights of way, boundary disputes, and constructive trusts of the family home, to name but a few) was great, and I learned a lot from being able to compare my work with that of my pupil supervisor.
Michael Selway
The second six
It is something of a truism that the BVC cannot prepare you for life in practice, and this is especially true of your first few appearances in court. Few cases are as nicely poised as those prepared by your tutors; few briefs are as tidy and complete as the colour-coordinated bundles available for collection a whole week before your advocacy exam; and few clients have as good a memory of events as the actors you interviewed and cross-examined in the cosy confines of the classroom. I have had some cases that I stood almost no chance of winning, and some, far more nerve-racking, that I stood almost no chance of losing; I have had briefs lacking clear instructions, crucial pieces of evidence and even statements of case; and I have had clients say one thing in their witness statements, another thing in conference and yet another thing in the witness box. Last month, I cross-examined a deaf person through a lip-speaker. That is not a skill that you learn on the BVC.
Faced with these sorts of new and unexpected challenges, I was especially glad to be a pupil at a set of chambers where there were plenty of people to whom I could turn for advice, encouragement and reassurance. My supervisor must have fielded umpteen thousand questions during my second six; he and the rest of the personal injury and clinical negligence team provided a supportive environment for making the transition from pupil to barrister.
The second six months of pupillage is not an easy time. You have hearings to prepare for and attend (one day in Truro, the next in Walsall), advisory work and pleadings to complete for solicitors (which go out with your name at the bottom), and pieces of work to do for members of your team (which are assessed and filed for the all-important tenancy decision). For all its stresses, it is nonetheless a tremendously invigorating experience. Besides, if you wanted an easy time you wouldn’t have decided to become a barrister in the first place.
Daniel Neill