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London chambers saturated with Oxbridge graduates.

I haven't looked at every single Chamber's websites in London, so there is a slight bit of ignorance here, but nevertheless; nearly all the chambers I have looked at are swarming with Oxbridge graduates.

The fact that Oxbridge dominates the bar isn't new and this topic is discussed quite frequently; however, I didn't realize the extent to which this was true. I think I found one LSE graduate in all the members I looked at.

If this is the case across all of London (which I hope it isn't) then it seems like your place in a London chambers is still extremely difficult to acquire even if you are in a top 10 university.

On the brightside, a few of the chambers I looked at in regional cities such as Bristol and Leeds had much more versatility in terms of educational background. It's a shame though, because I love London.

Are all chambers in London considered the best? Or do the chambers have somewhat of a hierarchy? There must be a few chambers in central London which may have less of an established reputation, but are more lenient in terms of their recruitment.

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Reply 1
It's difficult to respond to this post without knowing which chambers you've looked at. Yes, Oxbridge is heavily represented at the top chambers. However, there is plenty of scope for getting pupillage if you're non-Oxbridge. Remember, also, that the current make-up of chambers reflects the recruitment practices across some 20 years or so. It does not necessarily reflect the recruitment practices of those chambers today.

The following stats may be interesting:

http://www.barcouncil.org.uk/trainingandeducation/careers/Diversity/
Reply 2
I guess my main query is if London chambers are just made up of the very best QC's and Oxbridge barristers.

Are all London chambers like this? Or do you have the very top chambers (full of Oxbridge graduates) and then less prestigious chambers which aren't so elite and the best of the best? But cater for a more 'lower class' of academic.

I'd be happy to settle for one of these chambers if it meant living in London.
Reply 3
Forgive me if I say that this topic has been done to death - I'm sure that if you do a search you will pull up a fairly recent thread on the matter.

However, it is correct to say that a handful of London chambers - particular those top tier civil sets such as Blackstones et al - are Oxbridge dominated. That said, the rest of the bar is much more diverse. I have no idea which sets you have looked at but I'd wager that you have focused on the top commercial and human rights sets.

If you want to see who's who and how chambers are ranked check out Chambers and Partners. If you have a look at the top tier criminal and family sets I'm sure that you will find far greater diversity of educational background.

You have to compare like with like - a top tier criminal set will be rather a different beast from a top tier commercial set. I would suggest that you settle on the area of law that interests you before you become too concerned with the perceived ranking or prestige of a given set.
Reply 4
You risk incurring the wrath of the resident QC, as this topic is something of a specialism of his. Generally, I will confine my advice to saying that you ought to try to get a First at your non-Oxbridge degree which would place you in the running against any Oxbridge candidates. In my experience, a great many younger barristers whom I've shadowed over the years have come from outside Oxbridge (but inside the top 5, mostly without Firsts) and this is mostly in London civil sets, including some very reputable ones (e.g. Hardwicke Building).
The top London chambers are extremely Oxbridge heavy, because Oxbridge grads tend to be the best (sorry if that offends anyone...). These chambers are extremely hard to get into, even for those with a first from Oxbridge.

But there are plenty of other chambers without such high entry requirements.
Reply 7
Fact is, wherever your degree is from, you're going to need a first - its so cometetive it just seems to be expected now.
Happy1
Fact is, wherever your degree is from, you're going to need a first - its so cometetive it just seems to be expected now.


A first helps. But I don't think we have reached the stage where a first is necessary. If I recall correctly, one of the current pupils at One Essex has a 2i and no further degrees. And nobody would contend that OEC isn't as selective as they come.
Reply 9
Happy1
Fact is, wherever your degree is from, you're going to need a first - its so cometetive it just seems to be expected now.


Not at all. In all my wanderings (admittedly through top civil rather than commercial sets), I haven't met more than 2-3 barristers with Firsts.

However, I do imagine that if you have a First from a good university and an above-average CV, your chances at pupillage would be more like one in two rather than the 1 in 3 that are generally applicable.
Just had supper with one of the pupillage committee at a "magic circle" chambers. He said that your degree and univeristy matter at initial screening and selection for interview, along with all your extra curricular and legal experience. Once you have your interview, all that becomes largely irrelevant and the final selection is made on performance.
Reply 11
If I was recruiting and had 10-15 oxbridge grads looking for a job with me - I'd throw all non oxbridge in the bin.
Reply 12
sulpicia
If I was recruiting and had 10-15 oxbridge grads looking for a job with me - I'd throw all non oxbridge in the bin.


Thankfully you are not a recruiter :smile:
Reply 13
bcfc4ever
Thankfully you are not a recruiter :smile:


It seems that all of the Lords of Appeal in Ordianary are Oxbridge -

Lord Phillips
Lord Hoffmann
Lord Hope
Lord Saville
Lord Scott
Lord Rodger
Lord Walkere
Baroness Hale
Lord Carswell
Lord Brown
Lord Mance
Lord Neuberger

Someone seems to have a similar attitiude to me
Reply 14
Also, someone who can't use apostrophes isn't going to get a look in. I'm going to LSE for my LLB - but there is such an aamzing pool of talent in Oxbridge - and i've met many of them that if I was recruiting and I had hundreds of applications and wanted to conduct rounds of interviews and a couple of hours of consideration to all of them - I'd be forced to chuck a significant portion of them away....

And the commercial chambers I've spoken to seem to agree due to the overwhelming majority of oxbridgers.
Reply 15
sulpicia
It seems that all of the Lords of Appeal in Ordianary are Oxbridge -

Lord Phillips
Lord Hoffmann
Lord Hope
Lord Saville
Lord Scott
Lord Rodger
Lord Walkere
Baroness Hale
Lord Carswell
Lord Brown
Lord Mance
Lord Neuberger

Someone seems to have a similar attitiude to me


Not really. Were they picked because they were the best or because they went to Oxbridge? I think the picture's more complex than you make it out to be.
Reply 16
River85
Not really. Were they picked because they were the best or because they went to Oxbridge? I think the picture's more complex than you make it out to be.



Maybe the best usually are Oxbridge. I didn't get into Oxbridge because I wasn't the best...

Please note. I've put my 'lse willy' away. While I might be a touch smug about my lse offer. I'll freely admit it ain't a patch on Oxbridge
Reply 17
sulpicia
Maybe the best usually are Oxbridge. I didn't get into Oxbridge because I wasn't the best.


The best aren't always at Oxbridge and there's often little to no difference between the standard of students at Oxbridge and those at other top unis. Or it's certainly not the case that a graduate from another university can't outperform a Cambridge or Oxford graduate. They do and on a regular basis.

Please note. I've put my 'lse willy' away.


That's good to hear. I like willies but I'm a bit turned off by LSE willies (and Durham willies also).

You're perfectly entitled to feel proud. I just don't think it was really appropriate. But again, I think you're overestimating the small difference between Oxbridge and the rest of our top universities. There's no longer a gulf (and hasn't been for a number of years). In teaching and research, if not "reputation and resources, there are many universities who can match or outdo Oxford and Cambridge. I don't think LSE are all that far off, not in law.
sulpicia
It seems that all of the Lords of Appeal in Ordianary are Oxbridge -

Lord Phillips
Lord Hoffmann
Lord Hope
Lord Saville
Lord Scott
Lord Rodger
Lord Walkere
Baroness Hale
Lord Carswell
Lord Brown
Lord Mance
Lord Neuberger

Someone seems to have a similar attitiude to me


The problem with using this as an example is that it does not reflect the current attitudes of recruiters. While there is definitely an Oxbridge bias in some top commercial sets, it is just ridiculous to say that you would throw all non-Oxbridge applications in the bin, or to expect that some recruiters would actually be that close minded to potential talent.
Reply 19
sulpicia
Also, someone who can't use apostrophes isn't going to get a look in. I'm going to LSE for my LLB - but there is such an aamzing pool of talent in Oxbridge - and i've met many of them that if I was recruiting and I had hundreds of applications and wanted to conduct rounds of interviews and a couple of hours of consideration to all of them - I'd be forced to chuck a significant portion of them away....

And the commercial chambers I've spoken to seem to agree due to the overwhelming majority of oxbridgers.


Ah damn - I wish I had known about that apostrophe thing before turning down my offer at Clare. Now I find myself at a non-Oxbridge uni and unable to use basic punctuation, bad times, absolutely no hope for me :frown: