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Barrister possibilities for a non-oxbridge grad

Ive just been rejected from Cambridge, and at the moment have an offer from KCL. I was told by a tutor that 98% of barristers are oxbridge graduates, and that for me to become a barrister after studying at KCL was next to impossible. This surely isnt true? Firstly, i wouldnt have thought 98% of barristers were from oxbridge. Secondly, i thought a first or a 2.1 from KCL would be good enough for me to do the BVC and pupillage???

Any advice??????

Reply 1

Lauren18

14

I'm a first year at KCL and don't know much but this is what I do know:

KCL is one of the top unis in the country for getting students onto the BVC (I think 3rd behind Oxbridge - can someone confirm this?)

We had a dinner at Gray's Inn recently and the barristers invited were all ex-KCL students, and many of them enjoy prestigious and undoubtedly financially-rewarding careers.

Ignore all the Oxbridge ********... there are 10,000+ barristers in this country and they didn't all go to Oxford or Cambridge. The only place where that accusation is actually true is the House of Lords and other superior courts; where a gross propotion of judges were Oxbridge-educated.

Reply 2

legal_mc

OP

Right, thanks!!!

I just think that 98% is hugely exagerated!

Reply 3

Dizzyarab

Thats impossible! Arent there around 700-800 pupilages available each year? At most you'll have 500 Oxbridge grads, not all of whom will want to be barristers. Moreover, most of those wont have a first, and a first from KCL or any other of those uni's would beat a 2:1 from Oxbridge! Your teachers a bit loopy I would say!

Reply 4

chalks

14

Utter rubbish to say that 98% are from Oxbridge. Suggest that your tutor sticks to what he/she knows best - which is clearly not the educational background of Counsel.

Reply 5

Lady Narcissus

14

I am from Hull uni and I got a mini-pupillage at Wilberforce, chambers of the year in 2004. It is not true at all. KCL is very highly regarded.

There is a small chambers in Hull and most of them went to Hull Uni, not Oxford :smile:

Reply 6

jcw

legal_mc

Ive just been rejected from Cambridge, and at the moment have an offer from KCL. I was told by a tutor that 98% of barristers are oxbridge graduates, and that for me to become a barrister after studying at KCL was next to impossible. This surely isnt true?

The pupillage stats for the last few years show roughly 25% of pupils are Oxbridge educated, 45% from pre-1992 Universities and 30% from post-1992 Universities.

There are, however, still areas of the Bar which are far more Oxbridge-dominated (notably the Commercial and Chancery Bar).

Reply 7

bryan

10

I am no expert on this. But my general impression is that eminent QCs, Law Lords or even High Court judges are mostly Oxbridge graduates.

Reply 8

chalks

14

Which reflects the background of graduates who went to the Bar 20 years ago, but not now.

Are there are a disproportionate amount of Oxbridge grads at the Bar? Yes. Does this mean that non-Oxbridge grads have little or no chance of getting a pupillage? No.

Reply 9

President_Ben

15

chalks

20 years ago

That few?

Reply 10

chalks

14

Yes. If you look at the majority of current silks (esp at the commercial bar) a large proportion are Oxbridge. That has only really started to change over the last 20 yrs.

Reply 11

S_Dimelow

If you go to various chambers websites it is true you will see alot of Oxbridge graduates on their juniors list, but you also see graduates of the most obscure Universities. Oxbridge doesn't hold all the best young students and chambers do realise that so if your determined and work hard enough then theres no reason that you cant become a barrister.

Reply 12

PDJM

4

KCL will not limit your career chances, outside of Oxbridge it seems to produce a particularly large number of recruits to the Bar. If you are to spend hours browsing the CVs of various chambers you will find that it seems to produce far more than UCL, LSE, Durham or Bristol. A quick google search with the first 6 hits shows KCL graduates in the following chambers:

http://www.essexcourt.net/index.cfm?do=addshortlist&barristerID=21
Essex Court

http://www.fountaincourt.co.uk/members/c_carpenter.htm
Fountain Court

http://www.atkinchambers.com/barristers/lucie_briggs.php
http://www.atkinchambers.com/barristers/serena_cheng.php

Atkin Chambers

http://www.keatingchambers.com/pages/barrister.php?case=fullcv&bid=8
Keating Chambers

http://www.2harecourt.com/pupils/pupils1.htm
Pupils 2 Hare Court

As you can see there are numerous KCL educated barristers, some of the Chambers above are considered the elite of the English Bar- so a KCL rather than an Oxbridge education should not affect your prospects too greatly.

Reply 13

Dreama

13

You might want to take a peek at this ~ Clickie!

Reply 14

S_Dimelow

Another theory in my opinion is alot of juniors advertise if they have been to a well known University (Oxbridge, London institutions, Harvard) but they don't advertise the fact they haven't and simply put LLB, LLM, etc. They may feel if people were searching the lists in order to have a good idea of someone they wanted to 'work for them' or 'work with', you may be looked over with a degree from some 'lesser institution' but as the figures in the link above show the Bar is open to people from all backgrounds.

Reply 15

legal_mc

OP

Phew, i thought my tutor was talking rubbish but wasnt sure.

Thanks a lot guys!

Reply 16

legal_mc

OP

PDJM

KCL will not limit your career chances, outside of Oxbridge it seems to produce a particularly large number of recruits to the Bar. If you are to spend hours browsing the CVs of various chambers you will find that it seems to produce far more than UCL, LSE, Durham or Bristol. A quick google search with the first 6 hits shows KCL graduates in the following chambers:

http://www.essexcourt.net/index.cfm?do=addshortlist&barristerID=21
Essex Court

http://www.fountaincourt.co.uk/members/c_carpenter.htm
Fountain Court

http://www.atkinchambers.com/barristers/lucie_briggs.php
http://www.atkinchambers.com/barristers/serena_cheng.php

Atkin Chambers

http://www.keatingchambers.com/pages/barrister.php?case=fullcv&bid=8
Keating Chambers

http://www.2harecourt.com/pupils/pupils1.htm
Pupils 2 Hare Court

As you can see there are numerous KCL educated barristers, some of the Chambers above are considered the elite of the English Bar- so a KCL rather than an Oxbridge education should not affect your prospects too greatly.

WOW, great stuff, thanks mate. I didnt even know these profiles existed!

Reply 17

tomcoolinguk

13

Lauren18

I'm a first year at KCL and don't know much but this is what I do know:

KCL is one of the top unis in the country for getting students onto the BVC (I think 3rd behind Oxbridge - can someone confirm this?)

We had a dinner at Gray's Inn recently and the barristers invited were all ex-KCL students, and many of them enjoy prestigious and undoubtedly financially-rewarding careers.

Ignore all the Oxbridge ********... there are 10,000+ barristers in this country and they didn't all go to Oxford or Cambridge. The only place where that accusation is actually true is the House of Lords and other superior courts; where a gross propotion of judges were Oxbridge-educated.

KCL is definitely third, according to all the tables I've seen. It is probably worth pointing out that the numbers going forward to the bar are tiny compared to those going on to different career paths, especially the bar and also academic research.

The barristers I've met were predominantly Oxbridge educated, but they didn't wave this about at all- I think it really is a profession where you need to prove yourself time after time. It comes in for a lot of unfair criticism. The barristers I've met seem far more concerned with widening access than most solicitors at top firms.

Reply 18

Lush Law

15

LauraWalker

I am from Hull uni and I got a mini-pupillage at Wilberforce, chambers of the year in 2004. It is not true at all. KCL is very highly regarded.

There is a small chambers in Hull and most of them went to Hull Uni, not Oxford :smile:

I did work experience at Wilberforce Chambers and I shadowed Judge Mettyear last February half term.

Have you done any other legal work exp in Hull?

Reply 19

Fluffy

15

Lauren18

We had a dinner at Gray's Inn recently and the barristers invited were all ex-KCL students, and many of them enjoy prestigious and undoubtedly financially-rewarding careers.

The Bar does not pay well when you set out...

Barrister possibilities for a non-oxbridge grad

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