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Qualifying As A Barrister in The UK
To qualify as a barrister there are four including
when to main stages you must complete:
- Academic Stage – undergraduate degree in
law, or undergraduate degree in any other subject
at the minimum of a 2ii. If you choose the route of
an undergraduate degree in a subject other than Law
you must take a one year conversion course (CPE).
See the degree/cpe section for full information.
- Vocational Stage – You must join one of the
four Inns before you commence this stage of training.
The Car Vocational Course is one year full time or
two years part time. Once you have successfully completed
the BVC you will be Called to the Bar by your Inn.
You will also have to undertake 12 qualifying sessions
(previously known as “dining”) before
Call to the Bar.
- Pupillage – one year spent in an authorised
pupillage training organisation (either barristers’
chambers or another approved legal environment).
- CPD – continuing professional development.
Barristers are now subject to certain requirements
in order to keep their practising certificates. CPD
is usually in the form of courses or lectures.
Detailed information on these stages of training can
be found in The Bar Council’s website www.legaleducation.org.uk,
and by continuing the relevant member of the Education
and Training Department.
Below, we have outlined a suggested timetable for recruitment
to the Bar, including when to apply for courses and
when to find out specific information. Please note that
this is only a guide, and you may wish to follow your
own timetable. However, always make sure you have found
out when the closing dates are for BVC and pupillage
applications. In general, you must apply one year before
you wish to start the BVC (apply from October the year
before), and twelve to eighteen months before you start
pupillage through the OLPAS system (in March for starting
pupillage in September the following year).
Before University
There are no specific subjects that you need to study
at GCSE or A?level in order to practise as a barrister.
However, some chambers and employers include performance
at GCSE and A?level in their selection criteria as evidence
of consistent academic achievement. The key decision
at this stage will be whether to study law at undergraduate
level or whether to study a non-law subject and then
undertake the CPE/PGDL conversion course.
At University
The suggested strategy for those commencing
a degree course who are interested in the Bar is as
follows.
Year 1:
- Find out as much as you can about
barristers and the legal profession.
- Join an Inn (if a law undergraduate)
for information, advice and networking opportunities.
- Apply for work experience in a solicitor’s
form and for mini-pupillage in barristers’ chambers.
- Participate in activities such as
mooting, debating etc.
- Second-year law undergraduates and
third-year non-law undergraduates:
Autumn Term
- Attend legal careers events.
- Investigate funding possibilities
for next stage, for example Inns scholarships.
- Check closing dates for applications
to courses and funding.
Christmas vacation and spring terms
- Apply for mini-pupillages and other
useful work experience.
- If applying for conversion course,
do so before February closing date.
- Attend legal careers fairs and Pupillage
Fairs (March/April).
Summer Term
- Enquire about pupillage applications
- Obtain application details for Bar
Vocational Course
- Study prospectuses of BVC Providers.
Summer Vacation
Final-year
law undergraduates or non-law graduates on conversion
course:
Autumn Term
- Join an Inn (compulsory requirement
for starting Bar Vocational Course).
- Apply for Bar Vocational Course
(check closing date).
- Check out funding possibilities,
for example Inns Scholarships, closing dates (usually
November).
- Make further enquiries about pupillage
(you should ideally have started this process already
and completed one or more mini-pupillages).
Spring Term
- Apply for pupillage through OLPAS
(Summer Season applications) – March/April.
- Attend Pupillage Fairs.
Summer Term
- Obtain academic stage qualification
- Check progress of Summer Season
OLPAS applications – May/June/July.
1st
Year BVC – Autumn Term
- Apply for pupillage through OLPAS
(Autumn Season applications) if you were unsuccessful
in Summer Season – September/October.
With Thanks To: The Bar Council (www.legaleducation.org.uk)
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