Our aim is to offer all our pupils tenancy at the end of their pupillage. The pupillage year is therefore designed to teach our pupils how to develop the skills, knowledge and sound judgment they will need to become successful commercial barristers.
At the start of pupillage, each pupil is assigned a pupil supervisor or pair of supervisors who will be responsible for training and supervising his/her work for the first three months. During the first few weeks, we offer pupils a series of introductory lectures on important areas of law and practice. Pupils change supervisors after three, six and nine months. We endeavour to assign pupils to pupil supervisors with differing practices, so that they can experience the widest possible range of work.
Pupils spend much of their time drafting opinions, pleadings, skeleton arguments and other documents for their pupil supervisors. In addition, they accompany their pupil supervisors to hearings and conferences, and assist them with legal research or other tasks. As part of their training, pupils are required to perform a series of assessed advocacy exercises and several assessed written exercises. Pupils receive formal feedback at the end of their time with each pupil supervisor. Pupil supervisors also offer regular, ongoing feedback on individual pieces of work and on the pupil’s general progress, thereby allowing pupils to understand quickly what they are doing well and where they need to improve. Pupils are encouraged to comment on the feedback that they receive and on all other aspects of their training. Where a pupil needs to improve in a particular area, his/ her pupil supervisor will give him/ her additional practice and organise specific training exercises in that area.