Barristers' timeline
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Timetable for qualifying as a barrister
The route to qualifying as a barrister can be broken down into three parts. The academic stage covers your degree. For non-law graduates this also includes the conversion course. This is in turn followed by the vocational stage, which covers the Bar Vocational Course (BVC). The final stage is known as a pupillage.
School/sixth form college
- Aim to get A grades in at least three academic A-levels. Try to get some work experience in the legal sector – for example at a high street solicitors’ firm or your local branch of the Crown Prosecution Service.
- Apply to university.
- Sign up for the Lawyer2B.com Editor’s Weekly for must-read careers advice and all the latest news and features on the events shaping the legal market.
University: first-year law students
- Join your university student law society, as it will be a valuable source of careers-related information.
- Get involved in mooting and debating. Participate in pro bono activities (it is becoming increasingly common foruniversities to run pro bono clinics, but if your university doesn’t have one, why not set one up?).
- Look into other useful law and non-law-related work experience.
- Keep visiting Lawyer2B.com and read Lawyer 2B (you can pick up copies from your law school or careers library).
University: second-year law students/final year non-law students
In the autumn term:
- Research what type of chambers you want to apply to for pupillage.
- Attend events hosted by your careers department.
During the Christmas vacation and spring term:
- Start looking into funding and scholarship opportunities. A few chambers support pupils through the BVC year, as do the Inns of Court. Fees alone can add up to more than £12,000. The Bar Council estimates that, taking living expenses intoaccount, the BVC can cost a student as much as £30,000.
- Apply for mini-pupillages and other relevant work experience. You can even apply for a vacation placement at a law firm (as long as it does not clash with your mini-pupillage), so that you can compare the two professions.
- If relevant, apply for the Graduate Diploma in Law.
- Explore the possibility of securing a scholarship to fund the conversion course.
In the summer:
- Complete your mini-pupillage. Doing more than one looks better on your CV, as it shows that you have tested the market to see which type of set would suit you best.
University: final year law students/conversion year students
- Join one of the Inns of Court. This is a prerequisite for getting onto the BVC.
- Research those postgraduate law schools offering the BVC.
- Apply for scholarships for the BVC. Otherwise, make sure you have funding in place to pay for the course yourself
- Make pupillage applications. Apply to non-Olpas (online pupillage application system) sets individually.
- Attend pupillage interviews.
BVC year
- Complete compulsory courses, including advocacy, negotiation and civil procedure.
- The BVC can now also be completed on a part-time basis over two years.
- Attend the ‘12 dinners’ qualifying sessions.
- Get called to the bar.
Pupillage
- Undertake your first six (that is, the first six months of your pupillage). During this six you will primarily be working on your pupil master’s cases.
- Undertake your second six. During these six months you can start earning in your own right and so appear in court.
- Apply for tenancy, or alternatively undertake a third six. The latter option is slightly more unusual.
But do you know what working as a lawyer actually involves? And are you sure of the steps you have to take to qualify as a solicitor or barrister?
Readers' comments (5)
Anonymous | 25-Feb-2011 3:53 pm
Do you have to take law as a degree in order to become a Barrister? I know that you have to do a course that takes about two years after finishing your non-law degree but I do not know what it is called. How long does it ultimately take to get onto a pupilage? What age will I be? What are the statistics for a female becoming a lawyer? I heard somewhere that only 30% of QC's are female, is this true, if so why?
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TrMro | 7-Mar-2011 11:56 am
Heyya,
No, you do not have o take law as a degree. After studying a different subject than law you have to take the GDL course(takes one or two years, not too sure about that) . After that you have to take the BPTC(takes one year) and then you can apply for pupillage.
It is entirely up to you how long it takes to get a pupillage(however it is highly competitive and there are approximately only 550 pupillage offers per year for approx. 2000 applicants). Stellar academic records and a good CV will improve chances drastically. It is true that women are less likely to be in high positions at the moment. But statistics show that there are more female barristers as male barristers getting called to the bar. Its simply because more and more women get better grades at Uni. I would not bother that much with the fact that there are few female QC'S as it is about to change. Its just a matter of time.
And I know what I am talking about, it was one of my essay assignments to look at the role of females in the british legal system :D
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Anonymous | 26-May-2011 3:09 pm
Hey there,
the GDL takes one year full time, two years if you do it part time. It can cost anywhere between 5 grand and 9, depending on where you want to study it. Make sure you know how you're funding it before you commit yourself, especially now that NatWest have pulled their loan scheme.
You then do the BVC/BPTC (same thing, new name), that takes another year and again, can cost up to 12 grand depending on where you decide to study.
I wouldn't worry about statistics either, law is a very competitive career regardless of what gender you are. If you want it enough, and you work hard enough, being female won't prevent you from achieving your goal, whether that's the bar or a law firm.
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Mel Fardouee | 2-Jun-2011 10:36 pm
I studied GDL to become a barrester at age of 52. I hear a lot that I stand no chance being a 53 years old woman who speaks English with some sweet acsent. Please share with me your views. I was union rep for 6 years and won every single case and have done millions of advocacy work.
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Anonymous | 22-Jan-2012 10:40 am
Hi,
I am really interested in a career in law, I am just taking my GCSE options at school and want to make the right choices, should I take history, would this benefit my overall chance and general knowledge? I am considering taking law, sociology, product design, triple award science in addition to the core options - would I be better taking history??
Cheers
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