How to become a barrister

Where a barrister is instructed by solicitors to represent clients in court, the solicitor will give the barrister case details and prepare legal documents. The barrister will then study and analyse these details before presenting them in court. However, in some cases, solicitors may also advocate for their clients in court.

Solicitors also undertake a different qualifying examination and training period to barristers.

• Conducting legal research
• Drafting and writing legal arguments and cases for court
• Advising clients on their cases
• Negotiating settlements
• Working with other legal professionals

This can vary depending on the type of barrister you become. As a family barrister, you may represent clients based on child-related matters or divorce cases.

Being ‘called to the Bar’ means to qualify as a barrister once you pass the vocational component. However, you still need to complete the pupillage before you can freely practise.

A pupillage is supervised work lasting 12 months (full-time). The first six months are ‘non-practising’ and the second six are ‘practising’. In this second stage, you can take cases under supervision. Pupillages are funded by chambers.

You can apply using the Pupillage Gateway. This is a centralised application system. However, some chambers may ask you to apply directly to them. You should aim to apply during the final year of your undergraduate degree or during the conversion course. This is because the recruitment programmes run 18 months to two years in advance.

Before you start your vocational component, you should become a member of an Inn.

There are four Inns of Court:

• Gray’s Inn
• Inner Temple
• Lincoln’s Inn
• Middle Temple

Although the Inns are all located in London, they have strong links globally. Many international students are also called to the Bar in England and Wales.

Most barristers are self-employed and have a tenancy within a set of chambers. Or they can be employed by the following organisations:

• the Government Legal Service
• the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
• the Armed Forces
• large law firms
• legal teams within large companies and charities

As a law graduate, you could begin practising as a barrister about two years after graduating. This is if you complete the Bar course full time and get pupillage immediately. As a non-law graduate, you will take a year longer if you study the conversion course full time.

However, it can take longer. Securing pupillage is highly competitive. Many chambers only take on one or two pupils per year.

To be a successful barrister, you’ll need to:

• enjoy public speaking
• have a strong work ethic and be motivated
• be persuasive in appealing to a judge or jury
• be confident working independently.

Barristers are usually self-employed, so career progression is not simple to predict. Salaries are usually well above the national average and cover a wide range:

• The average salary for a barrister is £89,400 per year.
• You can expect a starting salary of around £40,300 per year.
• Criminal barristers tend to earn less than those working in corporate.