The Pupillage Interview/Acceptance/Rejection Thread 2012

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Reply 520

Shearn

Tanfield Chambers rejection by silence today, exciting times!

Reply 521

TakeTwo

Email from QEB HW just made my heart jump. Just a confirmation.

Reply 522

LuckyForSome

Afternoon all,

What with the worry of Olpas, I forgot I had emailed Noble Solicitors and heard nothing back.

Has anyone heard from them after sending an email?

Reply 523

MRMDK

Original post by LuckyForSome

Afternoon all,

What with the worry of Olpas, I forgot I had emailed Noble Solicitors and heard nothing back.

Has anyone heard from them after sending an email?

Hi LuckyForSome,

I emailed Noble several weeks ago (the "officemanager" emailed address) and received a reply almost immediately with the pupillage pack.

Maybe try calling them if you don't hear soon.

Cheers

Reply 524

MRMDK

Original post by third time lucky

Hi ProBono/ anyone that knows the answer to this question.

From what I can tell, the CPS is only recruiting for a 2012 intake. Is this correct or do you think it's still possible to submit an application for 2013? (by selecting 'No' to the BPTC/LPC completion question, for example).

Hi ThirdTimeLucky,

I think you're correct.

I read somewhere that they will be commencing another recruitment round in October for the 2013 intake.

Reply 525

littlewig

On the CPS website it does say they will have another recruitment round in October.

Any news from 18SJS?

Reply 526

prl34

Anyone got a positive response from Tanfield? Or any response for that matter?

Reply 527

tippett

Just received a rejection email from Tanfield.

Reply 528

GDLIsStupid

Original post by Brevity

...

You are correct that most people with American law degrees will have enough of a debt and other obligations to not want to enter the pupillage rat race and, in fact, I don't know anyone with an American law degree - the JD - at the Bar. However, that situation did not apply to me because I just had an American BA (as did, I suspect, Isherwood and Crimson). In the US, law is not taught to undergraduates and you have to do a BA in other fields - I had Economics - and then go to law school. So, when comparing the US Dollar 150K for a law school in the US and under US Dollar 40K for the GDL and BPTC/LPC (even less if you get funding, which you rarely do in the US), the economics makes sense, if one is willing to subject oneself to the pupillage process. If anything, I am surprised that more Americans do not turn up to explore the possibilities, especially for the solicitor profession which has a lot of big brand name American law firms operating in London.

For me the decision was even more basic: I knew I wanted to live in England and that I wanted to practice law. That left me with having to choose whether I wanted to be a solicitor or a barrister, and - for similar reasons to most other people on this thread - I chose the latter.

Reply 529

Brevity

Original post by GDLIsStupid

Oh, I see, you didn't do your JD there... That makes sense then.

Reply 530

username902399

Regarding interview offers/rejections - are these notified through the pupillage portal, by every provider regardless of the outcome, and any ideas as to when this usually is?

Thanks

Reply 531

InnerTemple

Original post by manutd2011

Regarding interview offers/rejections - are these notified through the pupillage portal, by every provider regardless of the outcome, and any ideas as to when this usually is?

Thanks

Sometimes you will receive an email rejecting you as well as the portal being updated to reflect this. Sometimes you will just get an email, with the portal updating sometime in the future. Sometimes you will not hear anything at all.

Reply 532

outofthefryingpan

Letter from Middle Temple this morning but not at home to open it! Anyone had theirs yet?

Reply 533

Little_Amy

Original post by outofthefryingpan

Letter from Middle Temple this morning but not at home to open it! Anyone had theirs yet?

Check out this thread:
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1967283&page=3

Reply 534

tnedutS waL

What is the general etiquette on shaking hands at interviews?

We are not yet pupils/barristers but since it is to do with being one, does the rule of not shaking hands apply? (Or does it depend on the Chambers?)
Thanks :smile:

Reply 535

InnerTemple

Original post by tnedutS waL

I don't think there are any right or wrong answers to this. If you are offered a hand to shake then shake it.

When it comes to deciding whether to initiate a hand shake, consider the size of the interview panel - if there are a few of them, shaking hands with everyone may not be practical. What if only one of the panel stands to greet you? Or if none of them are standing... does this change matters? Will you have to 'disturb' a panel member who is reading/writing something in order to shake hands?

Don't let this issue worry you. The best thing, I think, is to walk in confidently, respond to what ever greeting you get and just do what they say (usually take a seat.)

As an aside, some barristers will offer handshakes to other barristers. I have heard stories (probably false) of older members of the bar refusing to shake hands, however common courtesy would be to return the handshake even if you wanted to maintain the old tradition. Having spoken to tutors/barristers, the only piece of common practice seems to be that one should think twice before shaking hands with one's client...

Reply 536

Kessler`

Spot on InnerTemple.

For heaven's sake, don't feel like you are ever being "tested" on this issue. It is very much an outmoded practice and the vast majority of barristers have no time for it. If you have a large panel, then don't go around offering individual greetings/handshakes. They will have lots of interviewees to get through, and they won't appreciate you wasting time. It is enough that you make firm and cordial eye contact whilst smiling. If they make a point of shaking your hand (and that is rare), then do so. It's very much a situational/judgment call.

"Be prompt, courteous and professional" - best advice that I ever received with regards to interviews, from a startlingly ancient mini-pupil supervisor.

Reply 537

AtTheBar

Hi team, a couple of months ago I posted a link to my blog: http://mini-pupil.blogspot.co.uk/

If any of you started following it, I apologise that it's been sparse for the last little while - I actually created two blogs, one anonymous, and one with my name on it. Sadly, my auto-uploader was sending my posts to the non-anonymous one, so they've not been showing up in the blog linked above. I'm in the process of transferring the posts across to the anonymous one now, so please do keep checking back (if you're interested) for new content.

Reply 538

Crazy Jamie

Careers Forum Helper

Inner Temple's post on this is all you need to know. The underlying point being that you should apply common sense and not worry about these out dated 'traditions', which the vast majority of barristers don't give any thought to at all (I know I don't).

Though on an amusing side note, I was told a story on my BVC about a female pupil who had just started first six. She was introduced to a senior male member of Chambers, who went to shake hands with her. She reacted by not shaking hands, and stated 'Barristers aren't supposed to shake hands'. To which the barrister responded 'Oh, really? Well, I guess a shag is out of the question then?'.

Which provides a simpe lesson; don't be that girl.