Katy

I know, as a “young” junior barrister, that there are many solicitors with years of experience that regularly fail to enclose the requisite papers (despite having listed them in the instructions), plead the wrong cause of action and then make a last minute application to amend the pleadings a week before trial and regularly encourage clients to pursue hopeless cases. Youth does not necessarily equate to incompetence, just as age clearly does not necessarily equate to competence.

Yes it is more likely that a graduate of a year or two will gain pupillage at the vast majority of sets over someone of 50 who has had a career prior to the Bar where the academic records are identical. This is because sets invest in each individual they take on, in the hope that they will develop their practice over a number of years and bring ever increasing amounts of work and money into Chambers. They are therefore often more likely to take on a candidate who they expect to see a greater return from over a longer period, than someone who may work for half the time, but have achieved little more when they retire than a relatively junior tenant.

Of course there are, as there should be, exceptions. And those people will always manage to attain pupillage and flourish at the Bar even if they choose to come to it later, as they are exceptional candidates. But do not write off all of those younger members as ‘flibbergibits from the 6th form at Mallory Towers’. I myself had a very normal, state school education and I worked hard to get where I am today, as every person who attains pupillage has; that is the nature of the profession in which we work.

I was simultaneously delighted and irritated when I saw you had published an analysis tying together the OLPAS and pupillage (successful pupils) data from the BSB.

Delighted because it’s the first time I’ve seen someone, other than myself, do that (and mine is only ever read by work colleagues who, despite working for BPTC providers, don’t seem overly interested). Fair to say irritated because, as I said, I thought I was the only one and I would have put it all online when I wrote it up in October 2011

@Pat Kelly
“Perhaps those universities who supply the BVC training should advise new students (prospective Barristers) of these statistics at the outset – maybe then there wouldn’t be so many disappointed individuals wondering the same thing.”

We do. I’m responsible for a significant portion of the admissions side of the BPTC at one of the providers, and I’ve made sure we are very clear to students about their prospects and the bottleneck in admission to the profession.

All the providers have a student cap, and we all receive considerably more applications than there are places. Every single BPTC applicant reads the “health warning”, we are always upfront with students about their prospects (and tend to be very emphatic with those students we know will really struggle). The students to whom we made offers for the BPTC for 2012-13, they were 85% 1st-class and 2:1 honours graduates, and they broadly matched the BSB statistics about which universities they attended.

Even for a Russell Group 2:1 graduate with good minipupillages and marshalling under the belt would still have a 1 in 2 chance of getting pupillage. My most talented student this year, very impressive academic and work record, didn’t get a pupillage outright and is on waiting lists.

I know it’s in vogue to bash the providers, but I would make three points;

(a) The providers do not choose either the number of pupillages offered each year, or even the student cap we’re allocated from the BSB which dictates how many students we can take onto the programme

(b) Any aspiring barrister should be doing their research conscientously and aware of all this prior to going in to the BPTC. If they’re not, even after everything we and the BSB do to give a realistic appraisal of an applicant’s prospects, we cannot be held responsible

(c) The English bar is the most elite profession in the world; there will always be more applicants than successful pupils. Even knowing the odds are stacked against them, hundreds and hundreds of BPTC students with less-than-stellar academic profiles opt to proceed and take their chances. Some of them are successful, many not, but that’s simply the way it is and the way it must be in a profession characterised by a intellectual rigour, social prestige and a great deal of power (when considering the source of almost the entire judiciary).

I would point out an interesting figure that Justin missed; there were about half a dozen Open University graduates who got pupillages in that last period for which we have statistics. This shows that hard work, determination, a natural talent for law and personal charm will pay off, and students with OU degrees take pupillages where some Oxbridge grads miss out!

That is all for now
RevClaw

I cannot tell you the number of bumpkin junior, junior barristers who I’ve instructed and sat behind who didn’t bother to get to grips with the facts of the simple case I’d sent to them weeks before. I worked out fast that I’d do it myself most of the time. I bring in senior juniors where I need a proper view or someone who’s going to out-manoeuvre the other side.

I wonder – or it may be wishful thinking, that age is a benefit for tenancy – rather than the pupillage detriment.

I suppose, Pat, the reason why they do not explicitly tell us to naff off is because that would be age-ist and against the law.

I work between 50 and 70 hours per week for law enforcement and have done so since 2002 – having spent the previous 23 years in the Civil Service. I specialise in Proceeds Of Crime Act issues and am fully PACE, RIPA and CPIA trained and proficient. I can bring maturity, experience, expertise and work (in respect of POCA confiscation proceedings) with me and am mobile and prepared to travel.
I completed all of my CLP, ILEX, L.LB, BVC and Mediation studies on a part time basis over 7 years either at night classes, lunchtimes or weekends thereby maintaining my full time employment. All of this (bar some help from my employer during my L.LB) was self funded.

So, to now find that this level of commitment, drive and ability counts for very little by reason of my age and non Russell Group university education along with the apparent statistics being so heavily set against me makes me wonder – was it all (including sleeping in a camper van every 3rd weekend for 2 academic years when completing my BVC) really worth it?

Perhaps those universities who supply the BVC training should advise new students (prospective Barristers) of these statistics at the outset – maybe then there wouldn’t be so many disappointed individuals wondering the same thing.
Of course, if these course providers did make students aware then they wouldn’t, I suspect, have the level of take up they currently enjoy which could be financially damaging for them. Not that that should influence anything but sadly, so often does. Budgets are king at the end of the day.

I intend to apply for pupillage via the portal and by direct contact with non-Olpas chambers but these findings make me think I may well be wasting my time……….Time will tell.

As a brand, if you become known as a good blogger with plenty to add to cases and conversations, you will get noticed. And that reputation is what you want.

Sadly, the ulterior is true too, but play the game right and you’ll make it!