Pupillage at the Employed Bar

BPP CAREERS SERVICE

February 2007 If an organisation is not able to provide the requisite Introduction training, then arrangements must be made with another at the employed Bar work as legal advisers pupil supervisor or a set of to enable that within a variety of organisations, ranging from ' training to be given. firms to the legal departments of FTSE 100 companies to the armed forces. Examples of training organisations include: Currently there are about 3,000 barristers employed by various public and private sector organisations. • Government Legal Service • Crown Prosecution Service Advantages of employed Bar There are a number of advantages of working at the • Solicitors firms employed Bar in comparison to working in chambers, such • Organisations in commerce and industry as: • Local government • The armed forces • diversity of work • The European Commission • considerable opportunities for early responsibility Useful websites • continuous career progression • more regular working hours All organisations offering pupillage must advertise their pupillage vacancies on the OLPAS website, • greater job security www..com . They may also use other sources • financial stability of recruitment such as the legal press (e.g. the Soci- However, it is worth remembering that the same level of ety Gazette, The ), their own websites and the commitment is expected at the employed Bar as at the . self-employed Bar. Currently there are only eleven organisations other than Pupillage opportunities GLS, CPS and local government that have been author- ised by the Bar Council to offer pupillage. Please ask Organisations other than chambers may be authorised by the careers service if you would like a list of authorised- the Bar Council to offer first and/or second six pupil- pupillage training organisations. At the time of writing lages, provided there is a registered pupil supervisor who these include the Serious Fraud Office, Solici- is eligible to take pupils under the Bar Council's regula- tors, Ford Simey Solicitors, Kaim Todner tions and that the organisation can meet the other re- Solicitors, Stokoe Partnership Solicitors, Vega & Co So- quirements set down by the Bar Council. An organisation licitors, AXA Sun LIfe Services PLC, Glaxosmithkline Le- must be authorised by the Bar Council as a pupillage gal department, Imperial College Innovations Ltd, Royal training organisation before taking on any pupil to com- Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, Serious Organised mence pupillage. Crime Agency. For more information on pupillage at the employed bar, go to www.legaleducation.org.uk and click on file downloads. The pupillage training organisation must be able to pro- vide a pupil with sufficient training and experience in the type of work undertaken by the pupil supervisor, includ- For more information, contact the Bar Council ing sufficient practical experience in the following areas: ( www.barcouncil.org.uk ), the Government Legal Service ( www.gls.gov.uk ), the Crown Prosecution Service ( www.cps.gov.uk ), The for Local Govern- rules of conduct and etiquette at the Bar ment and the Public Service ( www.balgps.org.uk ) or the advocacy Bar Association for Commerce Finance and Industry conferences and negotiation (contact details on the Bar Council's website). legal research and the preparation of drafts/opinions Careers Service Contact Details: [email protected] 0207 430 5306 or 0207 633 4539