Wilberforce Chambers – 12-month pupillage – October 2026 (Pupillage)

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

Pupillage Vacancy Information

Wilberforce Chambers is one of the leading Chancery Commercial sets of chambers in the UK, comprising of 84 specialist barristers, including 35 KCs. Our barristers are involved in some of the most intellectually challenging and legally significant matters undertaken by the Bar today. We offer a full range of advocacy, advisory, drafting, arbitration and mediation services to a wide variety of clients, both in the UK and across numerous international jurisdictions.

Structure of Pupillage

Wilberforce Chambers looks to offer up to four 12-month pupillages in each of October 2026 and October 2027, with substantial funding. Chambers has an excellent retention record. It is unusual for pupils not to be recruited as tenants at the end of their 12-month pupillage.

There is no limit to the number of tenancies we offer at the end of the pupillage process. Chambers offers pupillage with a view to taking on all pupils as tenants at the end of their time with us, so we take great care in our selection process to identify candidates who have real potential to join Chambers at the end of their pupillage. Importantly, our pupils are not in competition with one another for a tenancy but are assessed solely on their own abilities and performance.

In addition to the substantial pupillage award, substantial amounts of barrister time (both of supervisors and others) are spent on pupils, and we look to give pupils a structured and comprehensive introduction to life at the Bar. That includes:

• sitting with at least five different pupil supervisors during their 12 months with us;
• sharing the daily professional life of their pupil supervisor;
• seeing a spread of chambers’ work;
• producing pleadings and opinions in their pupil supervisor’s cases;
• attending conferences with their pupil supervisor, the solicitor and the lay client;
• attending Court with their pupil supervisor and other members of Chambers;
• receiving regular feedback on their work from their pupil supervisor;
• having their work-load monitored by their pupil supervisor;
• having an opportunity to work with a variety of junior tenants and silks;
• getting to know our clerks and begin to learn what skills and approaches will assist in building a successful practice; and
• having an opportunity to contribute to life in chambers.

We are looking for pupils with (i) high intellectual ability, (ii) good oral and written communication skills, (iii) an interest in Chancery Commercial work, who are (iv) mature and confident, (v) have the ability to work with others, and who (vi) can analyse legal problems well, demonstrating (vii) good practical and commercial sense. We have a minimum requirement of a 2:1 degree in law or another subject.

We have a solid record of recruiting non-law/GDL students and as explained below we take care to ensure that our interview process does not disadvantage those who have only recently commenced their legal studies.

All applicants to the Gateway will be given the opportunity to submit information via the integrated RARE contextual recruitment system as part of our recruitment process, if a candidate wants us to have that information. The RARE contextual recruitment system provides us with information about applicants which assists us to select candidates with the potential to become pupils. We take account of the contextual data acquired via the system at the first stage of our application process (see further below). Provision of the information is voluntary, and no candidate will be marked down for choosing not to supply it.

Financial and Other Support Available

We offer a generous pupillage award. This is reviewed annually and is intended to be in line with the highest awards available for our sector. The award for a 12-month pupillage commencing in October 2026 will be £85,000 and will be paid monthly. A proportion of the pupillage award (currently up to £35,000) can be drawn down during the BPTC year.

We pay for our pupils to attend the compulsory courses which they are required by the Bar Council to undertake.

Equality Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to the promotion of equality and diversity across all aspects of our practice. Equality of opportunity is essential for the maintenance of high standards and the provision of a quality service to clients. It also ensures a harmonious working environment for members of Chambers and staff. In particular we adopt best practice equality and diversity procedures in our pupillage recruitment which involves the use of application forms, a two-tier interview process and the use of objective selection criteria in accordance with the recommendations of the Equality and Diversity Rules of the Code of Conduct. Applicants with a disability are encouraged to contact the Secretaries to the Pupillage Committee in confidence if there are any reasonable adjustments that may be made in relation to their applications.

How to Apply

Aspiring barristers are invited to apply to chambers between 2 January 2025 and 6 February 2025 using the Pupillage Gateway application system to search for the relevant Pupillage Vacancy and selecting ‘Apply for this pupillage’.

In addition to the standardised Bar Council questionnaire, candidates will be asked to respond to the following questions from Chambers:

1. Why do you believe you will make a good barrister? In your answer, please identify any relevant experiences or skills that you believe may help you in your career (2000-character limit)
2. Why do you want to join our chambers? In your answer, please give reasons for your choice of chambers and explain why you are interested in our areas of practice (1500-character limit)
3. Please give details of your communication skills. If applicable, please include both written and oral, including any experience of advocacy, debating, mooting or other public speaking. (1500-character limit)
4. What skills do you think you have that would assist you in our areas of practice and why? (1250-character limit)
5. Please tell us about a case within one of our areas of practice and why you found it interesting? (1500-character limit)
6. Please tell us about any personal interests and achievements. (1250-character limit)
7. Please (a) include a breakdown of your results from all of your university examinations that are available; and (b) if you have applied to Wilberforce in previous years, please state when. (3500-character limit)
8. Would you like to be considered for pupillage commencing in October 2026 or October 2027?