Shadowing a barrister- any advice
I've been given the opportunity to shadow a barrister as part of my work experience and I was wondering if anyone had any advice for how to behave/ what to expect/ what I should know beforehand. Anyone else's experiences shadowing a barrister would also be appreciated!
Reply 1
Just be yourself. Behave as you would in any workplace. Hopefully you will get the chance to go to Court, and/or to attend conferences with clients, and to see some of the papers that the barrister is working on. Stay quiet when in Court or conference, but ask sensible questions when not in those settings. I hope that you find the experience interesting.
Reply 2
The only other thing that I would add is to make a note of the barrister(s) you were with, what you saw and something that you learned from it. There's no need to take extensive notes through the day. Just at the end of the day as something to remind you further down the line if you come to make pupillage applications, because you will absolutely forget those details. The thing you learned can be small but must not be generic. Something like "I learned how important advocacy is in a trial" is something that anyone could write whether they'd done the work experience or not. It needs be something that you specifically noticed during that experience, such as a specific aspect of how the barrister did they job, handled a client, put an argument etc. Something that demonstrates that you were there and actually paying attention.
Reply 3
know their usual practice areas and about their chambers and know roughly what work they do day to day. read about the legal system - something like elliott and quinn's 'english legal system'
Reply 4
Original post
by Stiffy ByngJust be yourself. Behave as you would in any workplace. Hopefully you will get the chance to go to Court, and/or to attend conferences with clients, and to see some of the papers that the barrister is working on. Stay quiet when in Court or conference, but ask sensible questions when not in those settings. I hope that you find the experience interesting.
I ever so slightly disagree with this.
If I have someone shadowing me or a mini pupil or something, I always encourage them to ask questions they think might be stupid. So much of what we do can be the result of relatively arcane unwritten rules. On shadowing, you aren't being assessed, so if you have a question, do ask it, even if it is basic or something you think we feel that you should know.
In particular, I always tell people to ask about the non-work elements too, because so much of that can be hidden unless you have barrister friends or family. People on pupillage panel events won't tell you about the delay in fees being paid, how you manage cash flow, what you do when sick, how to get mortgages, not need a guarantor for flats and all that kind of stuff. In my view, a lot of that stuff is precisely what makes some people go to solicitors firms instead, because the stability is important to them. You definitely do want to
Reply 5
Original post
by BlayzeI ever so slightly disagree with this.
If I have someone shadowing me or a mini pupil or something, I always encourage them to ask questions they think might be stupid. So much of what we do can be the result of relatively arcane unwritten rules. On shadowing, you aren't being assessed, so if you have a question, do ask it, even if it is basic or something you think we feel that you should know.
In particular, I always tell people to ask about the non-work elements too, because so much of that can be hidden unless you have barrister friends or family. People on pupillage panel events won't tell you about the delay in fees being paid, how you manage cash flow, what you do when sick, how to get mortgages, not need a guarantor for flats and all that kind of stuff. In my view, a lot of that stuff is precisely what makes some people go to solicitors firms instead, because the stability is important to them. You definitely do want to
If I have someone shadowing me or a mini pupil or something, I always encourage them to ask questions they think might be stupid. So much of what we do can be the result of relatively arcane unwritten rules. On shadowing, you aren't being assessed, so if you have a question, do ask it, even if it is basic or something you think we feel that you should know.
In particular, I always tell people to ask about the non-work elements too, because so much of that can be hidden unless you have barrister friends or family. People on pupillage panel events won't tell you about the delay in fees being paid, how you manage cash flow, what you do when sick, how to get mortgages, not need a guarantor for flats and all that kind of stuff. In my view, a lot of that stuff is precisely what makes some people go to solicitors firms instead, because the stability is important to them. You definitely do want to
I am not sure what you are disagreeing with.
Reply 6
Original post
by Stiffy ByngI am not sure what you are disagreeing with.
they do not think op should ask sensible questions
Reply 7
I don't agree with the maxim that there is no such thing as a silly question, but I agree that a mini pupil should not feel nervous about asking what he or she may think are naive questions. The barrister won't expect a mini pupil to know much about the law in practice or the way in which barristers work.
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- Aspiring barrister - Year 12 Student
- What do you do on a mini-pupillage?
- My top tips for inn of court applications – learn the hard way!
- Barrister Shadowing
- Email barrister for mini pupilage vacancies
- York for law or gap year
- non law degree, interested in becoming a barrister
- Law year 12 work experience
- Realistic Chances of Solicitor or Barrister - Legal Journey.
- help with writing a law personal statement
- Brunel or City for law???
- how to find law related work experience??
- Advice Needed: LLB Student (2nd Year) Aiming for Vacation Schemes & Training Contract
- Taking a gap year to apply for Oxford??
- someone to help me get a head start
- What is a mini-pupillage like?
- Work experience: Go Big or small?
- Law work experience for Year 12
- Feels like I’m lost
- Law Uni Magic Circle
Latest
Trending
Last reply 5 days ago
CPS Pupillage/Legal Trainee Scheme (Oct 2026 Start!)Last reply 3 months ago
Help needed with best options for postgraduate law courses/Master'sLast reply 4 months ago
Advice on realistic chambers to target for pupillageLast reply 5 months ago
Weighting of interview vs form in Inns of Court GDL Scholarship programmesArticles for you
How The Student Room is moderated
To keep The Student Room safe for everyone, we moderate posts that are added to the site.
