Pupillage

4 Pump Court enjoys a market-leading position across an unparalleled range of commercial work. Our pupillage is designed so that you can experience the challenge and variety of our practice areas.

You’ll have four pupil supervisors, each for three months. Together, they aim to give you a rounded experience of Chambers’ key practice areas. The first six months will involve training from your pupil supervisors in the work of a commercial barrister. You will accompany them to Court and conferences with clients and produce written work. They’ll review your work and provide constructive feedback. It is a steep learning curve – your supervisors will help you master skills required by successful barristers.

We know that oral advocacy experience is essential to your training, so Chambers ensures that all pupils are in Court frequently in their second six. You will quickly gain valuable experience of arguing cases in front of District Judges and Circuit Judges in a variety of matters, such as sale of goods and insurance disputes. You will continue to work with your pupil supervisors in the second six months, but at the same time you will develop your own varied advocacy and advisory practice.

We want to give you space to grow as advocates. Chambers prides itself on its reputation as an approachable and friendly place to work. Whilst our pupils can expect to work hard and be challenged intellectually during their time with us, we offer a supportive environment where constant feedback and early courtroom experience combine to offer pupils the best possible start to a career practising at the Bar.

4 Pump Court offers a generous pupillage award. In our last recruitment round, we offer two pupillage awards of £80,000, of which up to £25,000 may be advanced during the Bar Professional Training Course, plus second six earnings guaranteed to be at least £10,000, for pupillages commencing in 2024. In addition, our pupils receive substantial second six earnings from carrying out their own court work. We believe that these second six earnings typically exceed those at other top commercial sets.

During pupillage there are four formal assessments- two pieces of written work and two advocacy exercises, each assessed by members of Chambers other than the pupil supervisors. You will receive detailed feedback at each stage to ensure that you are able to develop your talents and gain a real-life understanding of the skills required of a commercial barrister.

4 Pump Court has a strong record of recruitment from its pupils. There is no quota of any sort and we look to take on all pupils who meet the required standard. We have offered tenancy to all of our pupils for the last 5 years. Where pupils are not offered tenancy they have an excellent record of finding third six pupillages elsewhere.

There’s a smooth transition from pupillage to tenancy. As with pupillage, our aim is to give you all the support you need to flourish in this exciting and rewarding profession.

Pupillage applications have now closed for this year and will re-open in early January 2024 for pupillage commencing in October 2024 and October 2025. Precise dates will be confirmed in due course. Please check back for further updates.

We currently have no places for mini-pupillage available before the 2024 pupillage application deadline. However, all applicants who reach the final round of pupillage interviews will be invited to spend some time in chambers should they wish to do so.

We welcome applications for mini-pupillage for those intending to apply for pupillage at the start of 2025 and subsequently. Please see our “Mini-pupillage” page for details on how to apply.