Mini-Pupillage

Outer Temple Chambers are committed to offering a unique mini-pupillage experience. 

“I am confident in saying that this has been my most valuable mini-pupillage experience yet.”

      – Mini-Pupil (Summer 2023)

Mini-Pupillage at Outer Temple Chambers

We at Outer Temple Chambers are keen to offer aspiring barristers the opportunity of a valuable insight into life at the Bar. We offer mini-pupillages twice a year, in the summer (in partnership with Bridging the Bar) and in the winter, and usually take up to 12 candidates at a time.

During the course of a three-day programme, mini-pupils attend a series of talks given by members of Chambers, participate in an advocacy exercise, and are taken on a walking tour of the Royal Courts of Justice and/or the Temple. The talks are designed to give mini-pupils an insight into Chambers’ core practice areas and into life at the Bar in general. There are also Q&A sessions with our current pupils and most junior members of Chambers who are well placed to explain their recent experience of applying for pupillage through the Pupillage Gateway and to provide an insight into life in Chambers at the junior end.

Quite apart from the information we hope to provide over the course of the three days, we have consistently been told by former mini-pupils that the chance to attend a mini-pupillage as part of a group rather than as an individual is not only valuable but is far more enjoyable than the standard and potentially rather isolating experience provided by a more conventional mini-pupillage.

Applications

The application window for our winter 2023 mini-pupillage is now closed. The next mini-pupillage will run in summer 2024.

Mini-pupils share their experience at Outer Temple Chambers

“Each day was packed with insights as we delved into various areas of law and received invaluable pupillage tips from distinguished members of the chambers. A big thank you to the entire Outer Temple team for making these three days truly insightful.” – Hassan Bukhari (Winter 2023)

“Outer Temple is unique in that it uniquely combines commercial capability with an expertise in the health sector. It is also an early market leader in sanctions-related litigation and advisory work. During most mini-pupillages, students are simply assigned to shadow a Barrister as they conducted a court case. This was far from my experience. What made my time with Outer Temple great was that the team had planned a schedule of talks to help us understand both the legal side of being a Barrister, and the business development side of doing so. What’s more, we had a fantastic social experience undertaking the London Legal Walk.
I’d like to thank the team for giving me such a warm welcome, and I am confident in saying that this has been my most valuable mini-pupillage experience yet. ” – Harry Sun (Summer 2023)

“Thank you to all of the lovely barristers including Carin Hunt, Jeremy Scott-Joynt, Sophie O’Sullivan, Naomi Ling, and Alex Philippe Haines for providing invaluable advice on applications, life as a barrister and for the insight to life in Chambers and its areas of practice. Also a big thank you to Paul Carver for the great tour of the Royal Courts of Justice, Rebecca Priestley for looking after us and James Aldridge for the feedback and tips following the very enjoyable advocacy exercise. Definitely feeling inspired and motivated!” – Sharon Shumbambiri (Summer 2023)

Mini-Pupillage Grant Scheme

Lincoln’s Inn run a scheme to assist students fund mini pupillages. The Mini Pupillage Grant Scheme offers financial assistance to students who have secured a mini pupillage but need additional funds to complete it. The fund is intended to help with the cost of long distance travel, commuting, accommodation and purchasing appropriate professional clothing. The value of each grant is calculated based on the applicant’s anticipated expenses up to a maximum of £500.

Applicants do not need to members of Lincoln’s Inn and must meet certain social mobility based criteria to be eligible for a grant. More details including all of the application criteria and application form can be found on the funding page of their website.  Applications are open all year round.

Selection Criteria

Candidates must have completed at least one year of university education. In selecting candidates for mini pupillage we will take into account the following.

  • Academic achievement
  • Skills relevant to a career at the Bar
  • Evidence of motivation to become a barrister and/or to practise in a particular area of work

The criteria for mini pupillage are not the same as for pupillage and none of our mini pupillages are assessed or will count towards any pupillage application.

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Researching a Career in Law?

The Lawyer Portal (TLP)  is a ‘one stop shop’ for anyone considering a career in law, whatever their stage or background. Whether your interest lies in qualifying as a barrister, chartered legal executive, solicitor or paralegal, you will find this a valuable resource.

Outer Temple Chambers participates in various pupillage fairs throughout the year. Please contact your university’s careers service to find out if we are attending your fair or you can meet us at the Bar Council Pupillage Fair and the Legal Cheek Pupillage Fair.

Disability Confident Employer

Chambers is a Disability Confident employer. As users of the disability confident scheme, we encourage applicants with a disability to apply to us for advertised vacancies and we aim to interview all disabled applicants who meet the criteria for the vacancy.

The Disability Confident scheme is operated by the Department of Work and Pensions of the UK government.

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Find out more

If you would like to find out more about our mini-pupillage programmes please contact pupillage@outertemple.com.

Testimonials

“I very much enjoyed the various talks and exercises that had been arranged as well as meeting various barristers and staff who were all charming and helpful, particularly with regards to the invaluable advice they imparted.”

“The advocacy exercise was really helpful as it gave us a chance to test our skills and work out how we need to improve in order to succeed at the Bar; The ethics seminar was really useful as it will help me prepare for interviews and it gave me a really good alternative view of life at the Bar beyond law and cases and into how barristers really do face ethical issues and change peoples’ lives.”

“Thank you for organising such a thoroughly varied, interesting and exhausting mini-pupillage week!”

“I would like to add that I would thoroughly recommend your mini-pupillage programme to many if not all aspiring barristers as I think the experience I had at Outer Temple Chambers will be hard to beat in terms of the range of skills I have been exposed to and the friendly & co-operative ethos of Chambers.”

“Although this was only my second mini, I was aware of how different the Outer Temple mini-pupillage was from the norm and how much thought and work had gone into organising the week. In addition to the usual bundle reading and court visits, it was great to be offered so many seminars.”

“I specifically selected OTC for a range of factors, your focus on equality amongst these.”

“…of all the chambers…contacted to ask if they were wheelchair accessible, OTC were one of the very few to even contact him back. Not only that but you went out of your way to really welcome and encourage him, as you did with all of us, by providing really practical assistance. Although OTC is at the top of its game in so many areas, this particular aspect really helped form the lasting impression I have of OTC.”

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