Barristers

Key Facts

• 12,700 barristers are employed in independent practices in England and Wales. 
• Also, there are 3,000 barristers employed in oranisations uch as the Crown Prosecution Service. 
• Referred to as the Bar. 
• They have to be a member of the four Inns of Courts: Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple, Middle Temple and Gray's Inn. 

Qualifications and training of barristers 

• Entry to the Bar is normally degree-based. 
• If the degree is not law, it is necessary to take the Graduate Diploma in Law. 
• All student barristers also have to pass the Professional Training Course, on this course students study;

1)case preparation 

2)opinion writing (given written advice) and legal research

3)Drafting documents such as claim forms 

4)Confrence skills 

5)Negotiation 

6)Advocacy

7)Knowledge which includes civil litigation, criminal litigation, sentencing and evidence

• Once a student has passed the Bar Professional Training Course, he is called to the Bar. 
• This means that he is officially qualified as a barrister. 
• There is still a practial stage to his training which much be completed.
• This is called a pupillage.

Pupillage

• After they pass the Bar Professional Training Course, there is on the job training where the trainee barrister becomes a pupil to a qualified barrister. 
• This effectively involves working shadowing, that barrister, and can be with the same barrister for 12 months or with two diffrent Pupil Supervisiors for six months each.
• Applying for pupillage, application is sent to the Pupillage Gateway.
• All pupilage vacancies are notified to the Gateway and advertised about 18 months before the start of the pupillage.
• Applications can be made up to 12 of the advertised vacancies.
• System is much more open and allows applicants to know about all possible vacancies. 

Evaluation of the training process

NEGATIVES

1)Finance, students will normally have to pay the fees of the Bar Professional Training Course.

= students from less well-off families cannot afford to take the course and are therefore prevented from becoming barristers. 

=if they didn't do…