Mini-Pupillage at Byrom Street
Introduction
Byrom Street welcomes applications for mini-pupillages. By allocating successful applicants a two-day place, we hope to provide those considering a career at the Bar with an opportunity to experience the full range of work undertaken by practising barristers.
During the two days, you can expect to see conferences, observe negotiation in high-value personal injury/clinical negligence cases and to attend court with one of our members. Sometimes, court attendance will be in person and on other occasions it will take place by observing a hearing conducted on a remote video platform.
Applicants are invited to note the following general points:
- Byrom Street does not currently offer pupillages and so mini-pupillage places are not offered with a view to assessing potential candidate for pupillage.
- It follows that mini-pupillages are therefore not assessed.
- Each mini-pupillage will run for two consecutive days. In exceptional circumstances we may be able to organise non-consecutive days if, for example, illness or other emergency prevents a mini-pupil from undertaking the second day.
- While we hope that mini-pupils will get to see some court work, we cannot guarantee it. Applicants should note that Byrom Street is a small Chambers and there is no way of knowing, at the point of allocation of a mini-pupillage, whether the 2 days allocated will coincide with when the Chambers’ diary which has court hearings within it.
- The expectation is that mini-pupils will attend Byrom Street Chambers in person on each day. If it is either necessary or desirable for part of a mini-pupillage to be undertaken via a remote platform, mini-pupils will be notified closer to the allocated date.
When do mini-pupillages operate?
From September 2024 onwards, Byrom Street will operate two mini-pupillage periods during the year. In each mini-pupillage period, only one mini-pupillage per week will be available. It follows that, in period 1, set out below, there will be a maximum of 13 places available and in period 2 a maximum of 10 places.
In every year, the mini-pupillage periods will run as follows:
Mini-Pupillage Period 1: 1 March to 30 June
Mini-Pupillage Period 2: 1 October to 15 December
Applications will need to be made during an application period which corresponds with each mini-pupillage period. The relevant application periods in each year will be as follows:
Application Period 1: 13 January to 17 January inclusive
Application Period 2: 2 September to 6 September inclusive
Byrom Street will send notifications via email to successful candidates as follows:
Application Period 1: By 3 February
Application Period 2: By 23 September
Please note that applications must be made within the relevant application period for each mini-pupillage period. Applications made outside the relevant application period cannot be considered. For the avoidance of doubt, applications for a place in mini-pupillage Period 2 must be made in the application period relating to that session. Applications cannot be made in application period 1 for a place in mini-pupillage period 2.
Upon each candidate receiving an email allocating a place, Byrom Street requires each successful applicant to send an email reply confirming acceptance of their allocated place. This is important. If you have become unavailable between making the application and receiving notification that you have been successful, your place may need to be reallocated and it is important that we can organise this as soon as possible.
How to apply
Applications can only be made and processed by applicants downloading and completing the application form.
Please do not send a covering letter and/or a curriculum vitae. Applications in such a format will no longer be considered unless there are exceptional circumstances.
The application form must be completed by applicants. There must be no assistance from generative text artificial intelligence systems. Candidates are required to sign a declaration in the application form certifying that AI has played no part in completing the application form.
The application form contains a section which requires applicants to specify pairs of consecutive dates when they will be available to undertake mini-pupillage during a mini-pupillage period. Please note:
- Dates of unavailability are not required and cannot be processed.
- Dates should be consecutive.
- There is no limit on the number of pairs which can be identified within a relevant mini-pupillage period. The more available dates each candidate identifies, the greater the chance of all candidates being allocated a place.
- Please avoid indicating availability during periods of statutory holidays such as the May Bank Holiday Mondays and the Easter weekend.
When applying, there are two forms which we would like applicants to complete. The application form is mandatory.
A second form consists of an equal opportunities monitoring questionnaire. Completion of this form is not compulsory, It is optional. However, Byrom Street encourages all applicants to complete the form because the information thereby generated enables Chambers and thereby the profession to assess whether applications are being received from candidates from diverse backgrounds. For further information, see below the position in respect of equality and diversity.
Application forms should be sent via email before the relevant deadline in each application period.
Both forms will appear on this website at the commencement of the relevant application periods and removed at the end of said periods. Click HERE for the application form. Click HERE for the data diversity questionnaire.
Upon making the application to the relevant email address applications@byromstreet.com each candidate will receive an acknowledgement of their application.
What does Byrom Street expect of mini-pupils?
Byrom Street does not operate assessed mini-pupillages. As a result there will be no academic exercises set for mini-pupils. Mini-pupils will be required to attend Chambers on their allocated dates between 9:00am and 5:30pm.
Mini-pupils must attend in suitable office or business attire. Casual or semi-casual wear is unacceptable. Mini-pupils will become part of the projection of Byrom Street to lay clients, professional clients and court staff. We expect mini-pupils to dress smartly.
It will be necessary for mini pupils to comply with Chambers’ policy on confidentiality and data protection. You will be required to sign declarations in respect of such matters on day one of your attendance.
Whilst we do expect mini-pupils to be inquisitive, we do not wish them to be interventionist. Members of Chambers will endeavour to answer as many questions as mini-pupils raise but in return we ask that you do not intervene in conferences, negotiations or court hearings unless specifically asked to do so.
What can mini-pupils expect?
The Clerking Team will assess the diary and allocate work experience to each mini-pupil based upon what is available during the allotted two days.
Please note you will not be notified in advance because late changes in the diary are usual and entail that a mini-pupil’s diary cannot be populated until the mini-pupillage is about to commence.
The objective is to fill the two days with the opportunity to see as much of barristers in action as practicable. This means that you will most often be placed with several Members of Chambers. It is unlikely that you will only shadow just one Member.
You will have the opportunity to observe conferences and negotiations. It will also generally be possible for you to observe the paperwork which feeds into such work, albeit subject to the aforementioned confidentiality requirements.
While we will always seek to identify interesting court hearings for mini-pupils to observe, this is not always possible. Please do not approach mini-pupillage at Byrom Street on the basis that seeing barristers in court is either guaranteed or practically certain.
At what stage/academic stage can I apply?
Since Byrom Street does not offer mini-pupillages with a view to pupillage applications, there is no requirement that you have yet started a law degree or other form of academic qualification which meets the academic component of training for the Bar. It follows that undergraduate students not studying law but considering transitioning to law are eligible to apply.
Byrom Street is unable to offer mini-pupillages to children at secondary school below the age of 16 and prior to the completion of GCSE education. Applications from students enrolled in full-time 6th form education will be considered (please click HERE to view our Safeguarding Good Practice). Please note that in allocating scarce places, priority will be given to those who are already established on the academic and practical stages of training to become a barrister.
Which criteria are utilised to allocate places?
Byrom Street will endeavour to allocate a suitable place to all those who apply. However, should it become necessary to allocate places attention will focus on the following criteria:
- Academic stage reached and whether an applicant is advanced along the route to become a practising barrister.
- The presence or absence of previous mini-pupillage experience that has been gained elsewhere.
- Evidence of motivation and commitment to advocacy, whether that be oral advocacy or written.
- Evidence of interest in the predominant practice areas at Byrom Street – clinical negligence and personal injury.
Equality and diversity
Byrom Street encourage applications from those currently underrepresented in the legal workforce and from disadvantaged groups, including women, Black and minority ethnic groups, people who are LGBTQ+ and people with disabilities or who are neurodiverse.
We seek to arrange places to meet the needs of candidates who live with disability and those who are in full-time employment as well as those who are primary carers for dependants. Chambers expects to be able to make reasonable adjustments for those who are primary carers, or disabled.
In furtherance of this objective, applicants who succeed in applying are encouraged to notify Chambers prior to the commencement of the mini-pupillage, by email, whether any such reasonable adjustments are required. Upon notification that a place has been allocated, all mini-pupils are invited to consider whether reasonable adjustments to accommodate their place need to be undertaken by indicating what particular needs they may have.
Chambers seeks to gather and analyse diversity data to determine whether it is meeting the objective of providing equal opportunities mini-pupillages. With your help the intention is to review data on diversity among applicants and to utilise it to gauge whether we are, in fact, operating a fair and transparent mini-pupillage system.
As mentioned above, completion of the equal opportunities questionnaire is not compulsory.
Any data from completed forms will be treated as confidential, anonymised and treated in accordance with Byrom Street’s general data protection protocols GDPR/Lay Client Fair Processing Notice (Privacy Policy) - Byrom Street Chambers . Information will only be utilised for statistical purposes after mini-pupillages are completed. The form is not relevant to the process of allocating mini-pupillages. No information will be published or utilised in a manner which allows individuals to be identified. In statistical form the information may be supplied to the Bar Standards Board in order to assist the regulatory body for the Bar to assess whether mini-pupillage schemes are attracting applicants from diverse backgrounds.
Financial assistance
Mini-pupillages at Byrom Street are unfunded. However, Byrom Street maintains a fund to assist mini-pupils with travel and subsistence expenses in exceptional circumstances. Any assistance given will be limited to the cost of public transport and a daily subsistence allowance. The scheme does not extend to covering the cost of international travel or overnight accommodation expenses.
Funds are allocated on the basis of need and hardship. Any application needs to demonstrate exceptional circumstances before any sum can be paid.
Applications for financial assistance should be directed to the Chambers’ mini-pupillage coordinator. Applications can be made either at the time of the application on the standard form or at any time before the mini-pupillage commences. All applications should be submitted by email to the dedicated email address. The mini-pupillage coordinator will require applicants for financial assistance to provide details and documents to substantiate need. The mini-pupillage coordinator will in his/her discretion determine whether and how much assistance can be provided to any individual. In making the decision, the mini-pupillage coordinator will take into account available funds, the proposed costs to be incurred by a mini-pupil, any exceptional circumstances demonstrating financial hardship and all other relevant factors. The mini-pupillage coordinator will endeavour to communicate his/her decision to the mini-pupil within 10 days of an application for financial assistance being made.
Confidentiality and data protection during mini-pupillage
Prior to the commencement of a mini-pupillage, howsoever it is organised, it will be necessary for mini-pupils to complete a Confidentiality Undertaking. Each mini-pupil will have to sign the Confidentiality Undertaking before being allowed to undertake or observe any work in Chambers. The Chambers’ administrative system will retain the Undertakings for a period of at least 6 years following completion of the mini-pupillage. If a pupil operates in person, as would generally be the position, candidates will be taken through the Undertaking and required to sign it on the first day of their attendance. If the mini-pupillage is to operate remotely, then a member of the Byrom Street administrative team will guide each mini-pupil through the declaration via email exchanges prior to commencement of the place. If any mini-pupil has any questions concerning the purpose of signing this Declaration such queries should be directed to the mini-pupillage coordinator and the administrative team at Byrom Street in the first instance.