3PB Barristers - 12-month Pupillage - October 2026 (Pupillage)

Pupillage applications open on Thursday 2nd January 2025 until Thursday 6th February 2024.

About 3PB Barristers

3PB is a highly regarded multi-disciplinary, friendly and inclusive set offering opportunities to undertake high quality work during both first and second sixes.

Our pupillage program is non-competitive; rather, we aim to offer tenancy prospects to exceptional pupils across our six locations: Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, London, Oxford, and Winchester.

As a multi-disciplinary set, we offer a range of pupillage options. For those with a specific focus, we provide targeted pupillages, while for those exploring their options, we offer general pupillages. You’ll have the chance to discuss and explore multiple areas of law, with support from a dedicated team available to guide and advise you in your career.

Opportunities for 2026

In this intake we are offering 4 pupillages and encourage applications from people who want to practice from a national chamber.

Our recruitment this year is focused on:

• Winchester - Criminal work incorporating Regulatory Crime
• Bournemouth - Family
• London - Property
• London – Personal Injury

While our recruitment focus is outlined above, we prioritise excellence in all applicants.

3PB Pupillage Structure

We feel your pupillage with 3PB is uniquely structured. You will work with 3-5 supervisors over twelve months, developing the full range of skills to establish an excellent foundation to grow your career as a Barrister. We provide targeted feedback for paperwork and advocacy, with set goals and milestones.

We provide our internal structured pupillage education program with external and internal speakers on a range of subjects, all designed to give you that extra knowledge and edge for your career to flourish.

We have an excellent pastoral system to ease you through pupillage and beyond. We work with you to find the best way for you to work, we are adaptable and happy to make reasonable adjustments to enable to you to succeed at the self-employed Bar, we want to provide you with the best chance of succeeding with us.

Financial and Other support

Our pupillage award totals £60,000, comprising a £30,000 grant and £30,000 in guaranteed earnings, paid monthly in advance. Additional benefits are valued at approximately £17,500 and include:

• Private Health Insurance, including an employee assistance program
• Access to Perkbox, a global benefits and rewards platform
• IT support with discounts on technology
• Access to wealth management services
• Microsoft Office 365
• Access to online legal resources (Lexis Nexis PSL+, Westlaw and PLC)

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Our recruitment process is designed to be as fair and transparent as possible and undergoes regular reviews. We do not consider A-levels in selection, focusing instead on competencies and qualities. To ensure impartiality, we anonymise applications by removing identifiable details, including names and educational backgrounds.

Applications are independently reviewed by two assessors, and interviews are conducted in a structured and open format to allow all candidates the opportunity to excel. We provide feedback on interviews and offer reasonable adjustments as needed. Above all, we select for excellence.

Applications

This year we are recruiting through the Gateway. In addition to the standardised Bar Council questionnaire, candidates will be asked to respond to the following questions from Chambers. The limit for each answer is 4000 characters.

1. What quality or attribute do you feel will most contribute to your success at the bar? In your answer, please identify any relevant experiences or skills that you believe may help you in your career and why.
2. Please tell us why you want to join 3PB in particular. Please also mention any areas of law in which you are interested and why.
3. Please choose one judgment from the last twelve months in any area of law, give us a short precis and explain why it is important.
4. Tell us about a mistake you have made. How did you rectify it and what did you learn?
5. Describe an obstacle that you have had to overcome and how you dealt with it.
6. Tell us about a time you had difficulties with another person or group of people. What steps did you personally take to resolve the difficulties?
7. Advocacy can take many forms. What advocacy experience do you have? Please describe one occasion on which you believe your advocacy made a difference and why.

We continuously seek diversity within our applicants and so there is no set criteria for pupils. We do look for solid evidence of the following:

• Intellectual ability, which can include achievements outside the confines of university
• Good judgment
• Ability to build rapport with people
• Drive and Determination
• A commitment to the Bar, to 3PB, and an understanding of what being a barrister means in practice.
• Experience of public speaking, whether it be mooting, debating or other ways of presenting information.

Our first-round interviews will be remotely most likely via Teams in March 2025. Second round interviews will be held in person in April 2025 at our London Centre. We give assistance to all candidates for their travel costs to London.

Tenancies

Pupillage doesn't guarantee you a tenancy at 3PB, but we treat every pupil within Chambers as a potential candidate for tenancy.