The Criminal Bar: what is the future for eager graduates cramming their way into a tighter knit profession?…. Dola Ajibade
Our author, Dola.
Given the financial climate at the moment it’s little wonder that all the chambers evenings directed at GDL students come purely from commercial sets. Legal aid reforms, designed to cut public expenses, have hit the criminal sector hard so when 6 King’s Bench Walk (6KBW) decided to hold a chambers evening I had to attend. A brave invitation I thought by 6kbw, which came with a clear warning from David Herling (Director of the GDL), that only those interested in this field should attend.
Truth is none of us were sure if it was the route to pursue, and what were the reasons for 6kBW inviting us? They were not short of applicants i’m sure. However there is no denying the quality of the GDL cohort at City, a course known for its additional edge of academic rigour in an already intensive (and what many would describe as) painful nine months. The result? Some of the best barristers in England and Wales.
On the evening direct questions about the criminal bar were fired (it may have been the wine)...
How much will I earn? Will I ever be able to leave my parents house? Why is so much emphasis placed on academic ability when we are helping people mostly from working class backgrounds? How does someone with a first class honours and from a middle class background relate to criminals from a different background to their own?
Their answers to these very general questions? They stated that, yes the bar does place great emphasis on intellectual ability because historically that is how it has always been. They acknowledged the problem of being able to relate to clients and represent them to the best of your ability when you are not from the same background, especially in criminal law. Yet they stated they did not rule out people with a high 2:2 who demonstrate other qualities, similarly those with a first class honours with no experience do not just walk straight through the doors. Reassuring advice, I thought, useful to a post-graduate, I was won over already.
Demystifying the mysterious Chambers Evenings – Marie Tay
Author Marie
Chambers evenings. Men and women in posh suits, a formal event over-flowing with intellect from Heads of Chambers, top-notch barristers, Queen’s Counsels and tenants all in the same room. One of the delightful highlights on many a GDL student’s to-do list, ranking up there with mooting and pro bono. Along with the hundred and one things we try to achieve in our short academic year.
“Just what exactly are Chambers evenings?”, pondered many of us en route to tutorials and in between mid-lecture breaks. “It’s sure to be really formal if we must put on our best suits!” exclaimed one excited peer. “And we must be on our best behaviour! And impress the barristers! And snag a pupillage! And network!” And do everything all at once it seems…..
“Relax…”, said the tutors with knowing smiles, but not giving any details away. Going with an open mind and a professional attitude seemed to be their suggestion. And that’s exactly how a mini army of us clad in a sea of somber dark greys, navy blues and black albeit perfectly coiffed and gelled up hair set off for our very first Chambers evenings at Wilberforce Chambers. Many armed with emergency lists of potential questions and witty repartee to hopefully impress the barristers.
The Future of the Bar – in whose hands? – Marie Tay
Report on Lecture by visiting Professor at City University London, Stephen Hockman QC:
Legal Services Reform: the impact on the Bar - 5th October 2011.
Author Marie
Mention legal services reforms and you will definitely catch the attention of any barrister or solicitor in the room. And chances are, he or she will have plenty to say on the subject, as did visiting Professor at City University, Stephen Hockman QC, who offered a fascinating insider’s view of this red-hot topic in legal circles.
Since the implementation of the Legal Services Act 2007 and the Bar’s revised Code of Conduct, barristers have wondered what their future will look like in a post-Clementi environment filled with economic concerns. Especially now that the traditional boundary between barristers’ and solicitors’ work has been crossed, with barristers being able to carry out a solicitor’s work.
Stephen Hockman tells us that the route to successfully integrating in these circumstances lies in the hands of barristers themselves. While regulation only establishes a minimum standard, “in the end, the only way in which a client can be guaranteed a good service from his lawyer is if that lawyer is sufficiently well-trained and motivated to provide the required level of service.”
In view of Bar Standards Board (BSB) decisions, many unanswered questions are foremost in many a barrister’s mind. Questions of whether the Bar Council will agree to amend its constitution so that it can become an entity regulator and if so, which entity will it decide to regulate? Will the Bar in chambers decide to emulate solicitors in adopting partnerships as the predominant practice mode and what effect will this have on the ethos of personal responsibility? And if members of the Bar decide to practice in LDP rather than in Chambers or in bar-only partnerships in significant numbers, what long-term effects will this have on the Bar Council in its regulatory role?
Working through the GDL (..it is possible!) – Greg Callus
Superman Callus!
It's not news to note that becoming a barrister now involves a significant financial risk, and usually a significant amount of debt – a situation likely to be exacerbated by the pending hike in undergraduate fees. Even at present, the GDL will cost up to £9,000 and chances are you'll be paying for that up front out of your own pocket. Banks are understandably reluctant to loan money to those whose career plan involves spending £25,000 on course fees with a 1-in-8 shot at securing pupillage. So without a lottery win or having been born to wealth, what is the GDL student to do to pay for their diploma?
I wasn't alone in working through the (full-time) GDL at City University, but I think I was the only person working full-time, getting a job in an editorial support role at a national newspaper.
It wasn't the easiest of years – I had worked full-time through degrees before (I ran a wine shop as an undergraduate, and worked in supply chain through my MA), but the GDL year is somewhat different. City University prides itself on a fairly academic approach to the conversion course – there are about 20 hours of fixed class time per week, and at least 20 hours of reading and research required to participate in any meaningful way. It's more intense than many students expect. Add 40 hours of work and that's 80 hours a week. What really tipped the balance was the 20-plus hours a week required for mooting, debating, pro bono, FRU training, prize essays, chambers evenings, mini-pupillages, qualifying sessions, pupillage applications and interviews.
These three elements – the GDL itself, paid work, and the pupillage hunt – totted up 100 hours most weeks. Juggling these three elements may not have been advisable (I secured pupillage at my first choice commercial set, but only managed a middling Commendation in my GDL exams) but if you're thinking of working (part-time or full-time) through your GDL/pupillage hunt, then these are my pieces of advice that might come in useful.
Interview with Charlotte Proudman
Charlotte Proudman
1. You came to City for the BVC. You already had a 3-year undergraduate law degree. Why did you undertake further study between the City BVC [BPTC now] and pupillage?
I applied for pupillage while studying the BVC at City so I knew I would more than likely have a year between the BVC and commencing pupillage. Fortunately I gained pupillage just after the end of the BVC course by which time I had already applied to and been accepted by Cambridge University to undertake an M.Phil in Criminology. The Criminology Department at Cambridge University allows students to choose their own dissertation topic. I therefore chose ‘A Critical Examination of Arranged Marriage and Forced Marriage among Women in South Asian Communities in England and Wales – asking specifically whether the practices should be criminalized?’ - a subject which gained me a distinction, and a subject which is currently in the public eye following constant discussions regarding forced marriage within the Coalition government.
2. Your cv has a strong emphasis on human rights and family law. When did you first develop these interests?
I first volunteered for Oxfam when I was 16. At the age of 17 – between AS and A levels - I spent four months during the long summer holiday as a legal assistant at the Madurai High Court in India. Whilst in India I also got the opportunity to volunteer in an orphanage. These experiences were the triggers for my commitment to law as a future vocation. I soon realized that law could be used as an active tool to uphold the rights of vulnerable and marginalised individuals and consequently make a difference to people’s lives.
Where can I get funding for my law studies?
Need lots of this:-( Thanks to David Souza for this pic from flickr.
Understanding student finance can be as challenging as finding it. For undergraduate students there is much available from government sources: see the guides on DirectGov and the City University website. Postgraduate Student Finance is much more interesting. Whether you’re looking to complete a Graduate Diploma in Law, or intending to qualify to the Bar, there are various funding sources available.
The obvious initial pool to apply to is that of scholarships, both within your Law School (here's City's information on Awards) and the University’s central Student Centre (again here's the information for City students).
For would-be solicitors, the Law Society has two schemes offering funding support for the LPC including the Law Society Bursary Scheme (for those who can "demonstrate exceptional academic ability and potential as a solicitor") and the Law Society Diversity Access Scheme for those who need to overcome exceptional obstacles to qualify as a solicitor. It is unconfirmed whether these schemes will continue into 2012 but an announcement is likely to be made in January 2012. The Law Society page on funding also gives an overview of other options, including the Graham Rushton Award for visually impaired students and several Trusts set up to help those seeking to qualify.
What about barristers? The Inns of Court offer various scholarships for those looking to study the GDL or BTPC: Grays Inn (GDL, BTPC), Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Lincoln's Inn. There are also awards for visually impaired students/students with disabilities: the Hebe Plunkett Award at Grays Inn offers awards up to £10,000 to fund the GDL, BPTC or pupillage and at Inner Temple Disability Grants are available.
Mini-pupillage – an irritating time stealer, a useful insight into the profession or a 5-day interview at your expense with no downside to Chambers? (The GDL perspective) – Heidi Smith
There are few professions which can get away with inviting a prospective applicant to spend up to five days in situ, without payment or even reimbursement of their expenses, in order to check them out for a job. The Bar can, because the competition is so tough, and students will do anything to get a foot in the door. If you want to be a barrister, it is expected that you have spent time in several Chambers before you submit a pupillage application; the OLPAS form asks you to list your mini-pupillages and you can expect to discuss your experiences at interview. If you plan it properly, mini-pupillage can be a very useful insight into the profession. You have to “mini-pupil” but with so many competing interests during the GDL year, you need to adopt a sensible strategy.
Before you apply
City recommends three(ish) mini-pupillages during the GDL. If your world will stop turning if you don’t become a Chancery barrister, just apply to Chancery sets and do it early. If you are not yet sure which area is for you, apply to a variety of sets to help you to get a feel for different areas of the law. When you have three under your belt, stop applying, unless you think you can convince a couple of QCs of the reasons why you rejected their set for mini-pupillage yet applied for pupillage through OLPAS. If a Chambers mini-pupillage policy reads “We don’t insist that applicants for pupillage have completed a mini-pupillage with us” consider seriously whether your time is better spent in a Chambers that does.
Interview with Jane McNeill QC
Jane McNeill QC, barrister at Old Square Chambers completed her GDL (then the CPE) at City in 1980 and specialises in the fields of employment and personal injury law. Ranked as a leading silk in the latest edition of both Chambers and Partners ("never less than fully prepared to bat off the slings and arrows") and in the Legal 500 ("methodical" and with "an edge in defending discrimination cases").
Alongside acting in some very high-profile discrimination cases, Jane also sits as a Recorder in the County Court, is a part-time tribunal judge and is the editor of the Equality and Diversity Code for the Bar.
Jane kindly did a great interview with the Lawbore blog, touching on how she reached where she is today, achieving a work/home life balance and what the Inns can do for you. She reflects on the Legal Services Act and how this may affect the Bar, and gives some tips on developing a specialism, getting experience and offers some insight into how different sets can differ tremendously.
You can read Jane's full profile on the Old Square website.
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