Recruitment

Pupillage


Deans Court Chambers recruits pupils via OLPAS, the online application process set up by the Bar Council, during the Summer Season. The closing date is usually in April each year.  Full details of the process can be found here. We adhere to the Bar Code for Equality in recruitment and pupillage generally.  Candidates are selected solely on merit, irrespective of race, ethnic or national origin, nationality, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, age, religion, political persuasion or disability. For reasons of fairness we do not recruit conventional pupils outside the OLPAS scheme.  However, solicitors looking to transfer to the Bar or others with partial exemption from a full pupillage are considered separately.

Pupillage applicants should have exceptional intellectual qualities, be well motivated to pursue a career at the Bar on the Northern Circuit and have shown achievement and personal development in their outside interests and activities.  Whilst it is not an absolute requirement, we generally expect applicants to have at least AAB at ‘A’ level (or equivalent) and a 2:1 degree classification.

Once a pupil is in Chambers, a pupil supervisor takes responsibility for his / her development. Pupils rotate through Practice Groups by discussion and agreement and will have an excellent exposure to our work at all levels.  Although it is likely pupils will specialise with one Practice Group, they are expected to have an understanding of the full range of work undertaken at Deans Court.  We take a close interest in the progress of pupils and fund attendance for necessary training courses on the Northern Circuit and externally.

Pupils are likely to be busy with Court appearances during their Second Six. These appearances will be throughout the Northern Circuit and may well involve travel elsewhere.

During the First Six a pupillage grant of £7,500 is made to all pupils. However, once a pupillage offer is accepted, we are happy to advance £1,000 from the pupillage grant to support studies in the BVC year. During the Second Six we provide an earnings guarantee of £17,500.

By the end of pupillage we expect pupils to have achieved good or excellent proficiency in all relevant areas of professional competence.  All pupillage offers are made with a view to Tenancy and in recent years most pupils have gone on to become Tenants in Chambers. 

Mini-Pupillage

Deans Court Chambers traditionally offers a limited number of 2-day and 3-day placements to exceptional University students considering a career at the Bar.  Mini-pupillages at Deans Court Chambers are not assessed, nor is a mini-pupillage at Deans Court Chambers a necessary condition of a full pupillage application.  Applicants are expected to show similar potential to candidates for full pupillage and priority will be given to applicants in their second year or early part of the final year of their law degree or in the early part of their CPE/GDL year.  Exceptionally, 5-day placements will be offered.  A declaration of confidentiality must be completed before the mini-pupillage is undertaken

In response to the demand for mini-pupillage experience, a one-day Mini-Pupillage event recently took place on Saturday, 3 September 2011 at our Manchester Chambers.  Candidates undertook various oral and written exercises in a workshop environment with the opportunity for feedback from established practitioners and the chance to discuss careers at the Bar. 

The response to the event was so positive that Chambers will run a similar event on

Saturday 25 February 2012 

Places are strictly limited and will be awarded to applicants on merit in the same way as traditional mini-pupillage placements.  Regrettably, candidates with less than AAB at A-level or who have not achieved 2:1 results to date are unlikely to be considered save in exceptional circumstances.  The deadline for applications for this event will be Friday 6 January 2012 after which no applications will be considered.

Any applications for mini-pupillage (whether the one-off events or normal placements) should be made electronically (curriculum vitae in Word or PDF form only please) to minipupillage@deanscourt.co.uk in the first instance.  In the unlikely event that a candidate is unable to apply electronically, a written application may be addressed to Mr David Boyle at Deans Court Chambers, 24 St John Street, Manchester M3 4DF.  Applicants are invited to identify any particular interest in Crime, Family or Civil work (although no guarantees can be made in that regard), and any dates of non-availability.  We regret that we are unable to take applicants under the age of 19 in any event.

Information about mini-pupillage at Deans Court Chambers is also available on Twitter (@MiniPupDCC).


Established Practitioners

Deans Court Chambers will consider applications from outstanding barristers at all levels of seniority. Established practitioners are very welcome to apply. Any such application should be addressed to Mr Peter Atherton in the first instance and will be dealt with in complete confidence.