20 Essex Court |

Twenty Essex is a highly successful, international and friendly set at the cutting edge of commercial and public international law. We are at the forefront of developments in a wide range of areas of law, including banking and finance, civil fraud, energy and resources, EU and Competition, insolvency and company, insurance and reinsurance, public international, shipping and commodities and arbitration/mediation. We aim to recruit the best candidates, based on merit only: we are looking for those who demonstrate the aptitude and desire to succeed in our areas of expertise. We have a high retention rate: in the past four years, 80% of our pupils have become tenants.

We offer up to three twelve month pupillages via the Pupillage Gateway. These carry an award of £75,000 per annum. Our pupillage award is split into two parts. In the first six months, the award is £46,620. The balance of the award is paid in respect of the second six months. Pupils can draw down up to £25,000 of this award before starting pupillage.

We look for pupils of exceptional ability who are interested in our fields of work and are likely to be strong candidates for tenancy. We are looking not only for intellectual ability but also the other attributes that make for a successful barrister, such as strong interpersonal / communication skills and an ability to collaborate. There is a very friendly and supportive atmosphere in Chambers - we do not just test: we teach. Our detailed, structured training programme includes unassessed advocacy training and lunchtime lectures introducing key specialist areas of law.

Our policy is that an applicant for pupillage with Chambers must have completed, or been offered, a mini-pupillage by Chambers.

All decisions about tenancy are taken purely on merit. Our policy is straightforward: if you achieve the tenancy standard, you will be offered tenancy irrespective of space and the number of other candidates.

New tenants enjoy generous concessions in their first year. They can expect a wide-ranging commercial practice and may have the opportunity to travel worldwide, not least to our Singapore annexe.

Chambers is an Equal Opportunities employer and diversity and inclusion are very important to us. We were the first chambers to adopt Rare’s contextual recruitment system. We welcome applications from all groups and, where possible, make reasonable adjustments.