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What can I do from the start?

Hi all,

I’m starting my law degree in February 2026, I’ll be full time with the Open University! I have my heart and eyes set on becoming a barrister and wanted to know what could I do from the start of my degree to stand out, gain experience and really stand out.

I want to do everything possible to make the perfect CV going into the BAR and searching for pupillage's, I know it’s a very long road but I want to make sure every step of the way, I’m doing as much as possible to increase my chances.

Many thanks

Reply 1

Kuriknowsbest98

Hey! To stand out from the start, focus on doing really well in your modules while also building practical experience. Try to get mini-pupillages or internships, volunteer for legal advice clinics, and develop skills like advocacy, public speaking, and legal writing. Join debating or law societies, attend webinars or networking events, and keep track of all your achievements to build a strong CV. The key is combining excellent academics with relevant experience and skills from day one so you’re in the best position when applying for pupillage.

Reply 2

edmundtrebus

Get a first-class degree, preferably coming top of your year and / or winning prizes for exam results. I cannot, as someone who doesn't have a first, emphasise this enough. Some chambers aren't interested if you haven't got a first, or a very high 2:1.

Do your Bar Course with ICCA. They get the best results every year, mainly because they are selective and you will be surrounded by equally high achieving and motivated students.

Get a Bar Course scholarship from your Inn of Court. It will save you £20k ish and it looks VERY good on your pupillage applications.

Win mooting / debating / public speaking competitions

Win legal essay writing competitions

Do pro bono work with FRU or Advocate

Do pro bono work with your university's legal advice clinic

Do mini pupillages in several fields of practice. Mini pupillages with top chambers are competitive - be ready for this.

Stay on top of current legal issues by

10.

a) getting the Current Awareness email newsletter from Inner Temple Library (I don't think you have to be an Inner Temple member to sign up for it). It is issued more or less daily and it links to all the most interesting / important cases and issues of the day.
b) getting Joshua Rozenberg's A Lawyer Writes free emails and links to his substack
c) getting the Witness (Criminal Law) update newsletter from Sam Willis at 5 KBW if you are interested in Crime.
d) listening to Radio 4's the Today Programme every morning
e) visiting your preferred chambers' websites to view their case law updates in their specialist fields
f) reading specialist legal blogs eg. https://www.ein.org.uk/
g) listening to legal podcasts (there are loads, so be selective, and make sure you listen to up-to-date episodes)
h) reading The Times law section on a Thursday. It is also great for current affairs and politics although in my opinion it has recently become even more right wing than it was 20 years ago. The Times is available at a student rate of £9.99 a year for three years. Usual rate £26.99 a month. Take advantage.
i) connecting with barristers on LinkedIn. Read their posts, follow chambers, attend chambers open days / pupillage evenings.

11.

Join an Inn of Court. I *think* you can join in the year before you start the Bar Course, but you may be able to join sooner. Join as soon as you can and as soon as you have the £100 joining fee (for Inner Temple anyway). It will save you time when you are doing your finals or about to start the Bar Course.

12.

Network. Frame it as 'getting to know eminent professionals in your field', not as 'shamelessly looking for a leg up'. That may help if you are naturally introverted, or if you feel that a career at the Bar should be a meritocracy rather than being all about who you know. In return resolve to help aspiring barristers get connections when, in six or seven years time, you are in a position to do so.

13.

Refine your skills of argument and persuasion. Read books on logic and logical fallacies. Become aware of when your logic might be faulty or when you might fall into logical fallacies.

14.

Refine your written advocacy. Check all your written work, even emails, for spelling and grammar mistakes. The plural of pupillage is pupillages not pupillage's.

You are already ahead of the game by thinking about these things right at the beginning of your law studies. Very well done. Stay ahead and build an amazing career at the Bar. Good luck.

Reply 3

edmundtrebus

Apologies for the formatting errors in my post. I edited the post but still can't fix the numbering.

Reply 4

Stiffy Byng

Original post

by KN555

Hi all,
I’m starting my law degree in February 2026, I’ll be full time with the Open University! I have my heart and eyes set on becoming a barrister and wanted to know what could I do from the start of my degree to stand out, gain experience and really stand out.
I want to do everything possible to make the perfect CV going into the BAR and searching for pupillage's, I know it’s a very long road but I want to make sure every step of the way, I’m doing as much as possible to increase my chances.
Many thanks

Read widely. Read beyond the course.

PS: "pupillages" has no apostrophe

Reply 5

Crazy Jamie

Those are two excellent posts from @Kuriknowsbest98 and @edmundtrebus. I'd have some slight corrections to make on the latter, but they're not important enough for me to mention because the substantive of the post is spot on. The only thing I would add to the list of sources to read is the Law Society Gazette or something similar, but the rest are good suggestions. I will add that commercial awareness and reading widely is something that you should build into your routine. It isn't something you should put effort into. It's something you should just do. The same chain of thought applies to what Kuri wrote. The most important broad point to remember when it comes to pupillages is that every academic pursuit that you've been involved in up to this point is essentially an exercise in ticking boxes and regurgitating information. You do need to tick certain boxes in pupillage applications, but those are more minimum standards. Fundamentally, pupillage applications are not a box ticking exercise. It is an exercise in actually having the skills and experience that you say you have, and proving that by putting together an application that is well written.

Reply 6

Stiffy Byng

For commercial awareness, read The Economist and the FT (at least the weekend edition). Learn the lingo of the City. Investopedia is a useful website.