Mini-Pupillage Thread 2015/16

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Quick question, not sure if anyone will be able to help or not but here it goes! I have done a few minis (4 to be precise) in criminal and family areas but I've never done an assessed one. I have had pretty informal experiences so far and it would be good to get some real feedback as to how I did. Does anyone know of any assessed minis in criminal, family, or general common law chambers (regional or London) or how I could go about finding any?

3 Hare Court and 1 COR offer assessed minis and could be arguably be described as general common law chambers (but bear in mind I am only going by the practice areas listed on their website, I have never been to either set).

In general it is the commercial / chancery type sets that offer assessed minis. However, just because the mini is assessed does not mean that you will necessarily get useful feedback on how you did. It is more likely that there will be a piece of assessed written work which you email to someone at the set, and which is then 'set aside' to be reviewed if and when you eventually make an application for pupillage.

I have had feedback on many 'non-assessed' minis where written work based on a completed case has been set, I have completed it and the barrister that I was shadowing has then reviewed it, commented upon it, and showed me their own document to compare. If you haven't done any written work at all then there will probably be nothing that the barrister you are shadowing can give you substantive feedback on (beyond "you don't ask too many stupid questions and sharing a room with you is not the most unpleasant experience of my life to date").

Reply 221

LawMe

Thank you both!

My experience ties in with what you have said re: big commercial and chancery types, but I will certainly give 3 Hare Court and 1COR a go!

Re: no written work- That's exactly the problem I have been having! I've only done ones where I have been following various people round court, which lends itself to being entirely unmemorable and feedback along the lines of "You seem like a nice person". I feel my mini experiences are lacking the paperwork element which it would be useful to have some knowledge of. I suppose what I'm really looking for is quite a structured mini where they try to show you everything that goes on and give you a go yourself (for example the drafting experiences mentioned) rather than just following round whichever members of chambers are in court that day.

From my experience I've found it very difficult to tell what the minis are actually likely to involve from chambers websites, which I suppose is why I thought an assessed one would have more structure to it!

Reply 222

bris2016

Hi, can anyone please provide some insight into their interview at either Lincoln's Inn or Inner Temple for the BPTC scholarship? trying to decide where to apply.

Thanks!

Reply 223

Annabel_rose

I have a mini interview at Fountain Court and was wondering if someone could tell me what to expect?

I'm rather surprised I've even been considered, as I'm a non-law grad who hasn't started the GDL yet!

Any tips would be v welcome!

Reply 224

Forum User

Original post by Annabel_rose

I vaguely recall being asked to argue for and against some proposition or other (no legal knowledge required), a couple of cv questions and 'why Fountain Court?' Whole thing took about 10 minutes. That was back in 2015 so may have changed since then

Reply 225

Annabel_rose

Original post by Forum User

Thanks for this! I ended up not doing the interview in the end, as they recommended that I do it later, so to not affect my chances for pupillage later on. Offered me some informal shadowing in summer instead. But thanks for this, I’ll know for next time! :smile:

Reply 226

monokurobuu

I am having a really hard time getting any mini-pupillages and I don't know what to do. I have done two criminal pupillages and marshalled once, but would like to try a civil set as that is where I am currently aiming for pupillage.

Today I got rejected from a set (fair enough), but I don't know where to go or how to improve and need to vent. No matter what they say, if they won't ask me in for a mini-pupillage, there's no chance of applying for them for pupillage.

With this chambers:
I work for the regulator of their area of law
I work internationally on the committees that make that area of law
I have a scholarship to study that area of law post-grad at a fancy university
I have met members of chambers as opponents and was impressed with their behaviour (and the work they undertake)

My notable negatives:
I am not a recent graduate (I have a previous career in an adjacent field)
I have a 2:2 in my first degree (I also have a 2:1 in law and a distinction at LLM, also have a VC on the BPTC)
I have never been to oxbridge

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 227

TimmonaPortella

Perhaps it would be better for a new mini-pupillage thread to be started, if there's demand, than for the 15/16 thread to be resurrected?

In the meanwhile:

Original post by monokurobuu

Okay. How many applications have you made?

No matter what they say, if they won't ask me in for a mini-pupillage, there's no chance of applying for them for pupillage.

It's not at all necessary to rule them out. As i've posted on here before, I had pupillage interviews at sets that refused me mini-pupillage, and was rejected before interview for pupillage by sets that accepted me for mini-pupillage. Mini applications are generally assessed quite summarily, even cursorily, and often by different (and more junior) people than those who assess pupillage applications. They may be applying different criteria, or they may be applying no formal criteria at all. You may be someone who looks better in the longer-form, and different, pupillage application papers. Obviously there may be some general correlation between your overall success in obtaining minis and your success in obtaining pupillage interviews, but you really shouldn't worry about specific cases.

With this chambers:
I work for the regulator of their area of law
I work internationally on the committees that make that area of law
I have a scholarship to study that area of law post-grad at a fancy university
I have met members of chambers as opponents and was impressed with their behaviour (and the work they undertake)

As above, don't worry about specific instances at this stage. If you have a general pattern of applying and being rejected, you're right to ask the question whether you're doing something wrong, but you really shouldn't fret about one particular rejection from one particular set.