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In order to start a career as a barrister, you’ll need to obtain a pupillage. Pupillage is a 12-month period of on-the-job training with a set of chambers (the communal offices from which self-employed barristers practise law). Training varies from set to set, but you will likely spend your first six months shadowing a more senior member of chambers before taking on your own cases in the second six months. In order to obtain a pupillage, you will need to have passed the Bar course (a professional qualification) and have joined one of the Inns of Court. There is an even split between law graduates and non-law graduates that apply to the Bar each year, but non-law students will need to pass a one-year conversion course prior to undertaking their Bar course. Once you’ve got the qualifications, you’ll need to decide what area of legal practice suits you best. Some areas such as criminal and family, will require a significant amount of advocacy in front of a judge, whereas more commercial areas of law may be more chambers and client based. Good grades are required across the board and expect very high levels of competition when applying for pupillages.