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Making the
decision....and giving the commitment |
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The principal aims of the bar - that is all
practising barristers - are to ensure that the
interests of the public, individually and
collectively, and the administration of justice are
best served.
To become a barrister requires a great deal of - as
well as a wide range of abilities. For those who
make it, the commitment continues. Being a barrister
really is a way of life not just a career. It
involves hard work, long hours and time pressures
which can sometimes mean considerable sacrifices in
terms of social and family life. However, many at
the Bar would say that life as a barrister is worth
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Step1:
Deciding whether you want to become a barrister
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One of the problems in deciding whether to
become a barrister is separating the myths from
the reality. It can be difficult to navigate
through the maze of traditions associated with
banisters and their portrayal in the media
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opportunities for people with the right combination
of skills and qualities, whatever their educational,
social or racial background. Nowadays too, some
financial assistance is available to offset the
expenses of training.
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"I invite you to
challenge our faculty, explore and truly become part
of the BSL Law community."
Andaleeve Rahman
Barrister-at-Law
Principal
British School of Law |
The language of the Bar - a glossary of
terms
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| The
Bar Council |
This is the governing body for
barristers. Amongst other things it regulates the
provision of education and training
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| Inns
of Court |
There are four Inns of Court
(Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple, Middle Temple and
Gray's Inn), all in the same corner of London.
These are principally non-academic societies which
provide collegiate activities and support for
barristers and student barristers, including
advocacy training and continuing education.
Membership of an Inn is recommended from the
vocational stage of training onwards.
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The Inns also provide the
mechanism by which people literally become
barristers - or are called to the Bar. At the
moment, students are eligible to be called on the
completion of the one year stage of training.
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Chambers |
Independent barristers are
self-employed, but are usually grouped together to
form chambers. Every chambers has an experienced
barrister at its head, a number of members of
varying seniority and usually a clerk who is
responsible for distributing work among members.
Members are also known as tenants.
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Dining |
Before you can be called to the
Bar, you have to attend a certain number of formal
dinners at your Inn. These are designed to foster
collegiate links and are often followed by
after-dinner events with an educational purpose.
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Mini-Pupillage |
A short period of work
experience, usually about a week, generally
undertaken whilst at university.
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Mooting |
A moot is a legal debate on a
point of law. It's not compulsory to get involved
in mooting societies, but it's extremely useful
experience which you can gain either at university
or as a student member of an Inn.
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Pupillage |
This is the "apprenticeship"
served by trainee barristers, who are known as
pupils. It usually takes a year and consists of a
mixture of assisting and observing experienced
barristers, as well as more practical experience.
Training is overseen by a fairly experienced
figure, known as a pupil-master or pupil-mistress.
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Joining an
Inn
Before passing on to the next stage, it is
recommended that you should become a member of an
Inn of Court (although you may have done so at an
earlier point in the academic stage). You can only
apply to join one Inn. All offer roughly the same
support: a library, educational activities, mooting
societies, somewhere to eat, common rooms, gardens.
More importantly they all have a senior member of
staff to deal with students and pupils. The Inns all
run "sponsorship" schemes too. These link students
with senior barristers in relevant areas of specialisation-another valuable source of
information.
Your choice of Inn may therefore be guided by issues
such as atmosphere and character or; on a more
practical note, the number and size of scholarships
and awards on offer. Different Inns have different
awards and scholarships to suit different needs.
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Step 2:
Getting the academic qualifications
The first part of training to become a barrister
is known as the academic stage.
It serves as a general introduction to the law. |
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A degree in law
If you complete the academic stage of training and fail
to make it through to the next stage-or if you simply
change your mind-you will not have wasted your time. By
studying law at degree level, you will have a highly
respected qualification and the basis for a wide variety
of other career options.
Mini-pupillages
During the academic stage of training, you should try to
get some further insight into the work of the barrister.
The best way of doing this is through mini-pupillages
-two or three are probably sufficient. These usually
take the form of a week's work experience and work
shadowing: reading papers, discussing cases, attending
court-even completing some written work. Mini-pupillages
don't simply look good on your CV; they are an important
part of deciding whether life as a barrister really
would suit you and, if so, which areas of specialisation
interest you. In some chambers, they may form part of
the selection process for real pupillages. If you don't
do a mini-pupillage, for whatever reason, you should at
the very least aim to attend court a few times.
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THIS IS KNOWN AS "the vocational
stage" and consists of a one year course: the Bar
Vocational Course (BVC). Traditionally the BVC has
been available at only one institution, the Inns of
Court School of Law in London.
However from September 1997 it is offered by a few,
carefully selected institutions offering the BVC.
Applications will be made through a centralised-clearing
system known as CACH (Centralised Applications and
Clearing House). It will also be possible to do the
course on a part-time basis over two years.
You should aim to gain as much relevant experience
and knowledge as you can during the vocational
stage. This might include: debating, mooting
(holding mock trials), work for a Citizen's Advice
Bureau or the Free Representation Unit, attending
court, marshalling (shadowing a judge), further
mini-pupillages....or, at the very least, reading
the legal pages in the newspapers. Any of these
activities should assist you in the search for a
pupillage.
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Step3:
Getting the vocational qualifications
The academic stage of training provides a
general, theoretical introduction to the law.
The next step is to acquire some legal training
specific to work as a barrister |
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Course Content
Unlike the courses which make up the academic stage of
training, the Bar Vocational Course places a 60%
emphasis on skills, with only 40% of the year's work
covering knowledge. The other major elements of the
course are professional conduct and two specialist
options.
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In many classes
students play an active part, which often involves
role-playing exercises. They may find themselves
interviewing one another, negotiating solutions to
legal problems, even enacting court procedures, as
well as drafting documents and written
recommendations. Some exercises may be based on
briefs similar to those that barristers receive in
the early days of practice.
Both the skills and knowledge elements of the course
emphasise the need for a professional approach to
work. To lay the foundations for this, the course
will include classes on professional conduct.
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Main skills taught on the Bar
Vocational Course
Casework skills
Fact Management
Legal Research
Written Skills
General written word skills
Opinion-writing (that is giving written advice)
Drafting (of various types of documents)
Conference skills
Negotiation
Advocacy (court or tribunal appearances)
Assessment
Assessment takes several forms and may differ from
institution to institution. Key areas of knowledge are
often assessed through multiple choice tests. Written
skills are evaluated by means of written papers, while
advocacy, negotiation and conference skills may be
appraised by videoed performance of practical exercises.
Main areas of knowledge taught on the Bar Vocational
Course
Civil litigation
Criminal litigation
Evidence
Sentencing
Two optional subjects, selected from a choice of at
least six.
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"The
environment, students, faculties and staffs makes
British School of Law the perfect place for studying
Law."
Abdul Monem Khan
LLB 1st year
student.
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USEFUL ADDRESSES
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Lincoln's Inn
Students' Department
Treasury Office
Lincoln's Inn
London WC2A 3TL
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Inner Temple
Education & Training Departments
Treasurer's Office
Inner Temple
London EC4Y 7HL
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Middle Temple
Students' Department
Treasury Office
Middle Temple
London EC4Y 9AT
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Gray's Inn
Education Department
8 South Square
Gray's Inn
London WC1R 5EU |
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"The LLB
faculty and administrators offer well organised
programme and make you feel at home"
Maisha Abdullah
LLB 1st year
student. |
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