Over 250 barristers practicing at the English & Welsh Bar studied for a degree at the University of Bristol - either undergraduate or postgraduate, law or a non-law subject. Compared to many other professions, the Bar is small - so over 250 barristers being Bristol Alumni is a very good number.  It is possible to get to the Bar from Bristol.

Many Alumni are now Judges, QCs, Benchers at Inns, and are practicing at the very top of the Bar. The Bar is competitive and there has been a decrease in the number of Pupillages in recent years, there is no denying that. There is a ‘Health Warning’ those applying for the Bar Practice Training Course. However, the Bar can offer a very rewarding career to many - and the Alumni illustrate how University of Bristol students can become very successful barristers.

Many of these barristers have practices which go beyond this jurisdiction and have lots of opportunities to travel to exotic countries around the world. Opportunities to travel range from the European Courts, Channel Islands, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Dubai, Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands just to name a few.

Barristers who have qualified at the English & Welsh Bar are in demand all over the world - so do not think barristers are stuck in London. If you want to do work which will enable you to travel, there are Chambers that specialise in that work.

The Bar Society hosts events which enable you to talk to Bristol Alumni and other barristers, which are fantastic opportunities for those of you exploring a career at the bar.

But what about financing my career?

There has been a lot of press recently about the financial side of the Bar. Certainly, it is the case that for publicly funded areas, particularly Criminal and Family, the figures are grim. Many criminal and family pupillages offer in the region of £12,000 - which does not goes very far if you are working in London.

However, there is another side to the Bar which seems to get missed far too often. There are several sets which offer Pupillage Awards in excess of £60,000. In the middle, there are many sets offering Pupillage Awards in the region of £40,000. For lots of Pupillage Awards there is an option to draw down part of the Award in advance to help fund the BPTC (which costs approximately £18,000 in tuition fees for full-time in London).

The Inns too offer a variety of scholarships to help fund the GDL and BPTC - as do the BPTC Providers themselves.  Therefore, it is definitely not worth ruling out the Bar purely because of financial considerations.

Soon Bar Society will be publishing on our website a full list of Chambers which shows which Chambers offer mini pupillages. Most Chambers offer mini pupillages, a few funded (the highest I have come across is £500 for a 5 day mini pupillage), but most do not offer any funding. Therefore it is important to think about where to do mini pupillages.  Expenses stack up very quickly if you get a mini pupillage lasting a week at a London Chambers which includes traveling over London.

Most of the Chambers based in Bristol offer mini pupillages, so it is possible to fit a short mini pupillage in either during term time if necessary or during the holidays, and have the big advantage of not having to incur extra costs of paying to stay in London. It is possible for first years to get mini pupillages- so start applying early, because Bar Course Providers and Inns when applying for Scholarships want to know if you have done mini pupillages, so get in early and start adding them to your CV.

Top tips on applying

• Before applying for a mini pupillage, make sure to check whether you are eligible to apply as some Chambers only offer mini pupillages to those who have completed a year of legal education. 
• If your mini pupillage is to be assessed, it may be worth doing an unassessed mini pupillage first.
• Make sure you think about the practice areas of the Chambers you are applying to.  It will not impress a Chambers if you say you are very enthusiastic about Commercial Law, but they only do Family Law
• Read the Mini Pupillage Policy and Pupillage Policy before applying.  Chambers when assessing applications for Mini Pupillages may keep in mind their Pupillage Criteria, so it is worth a read. These can usually be found very easily under ‘Recruitment’ on Chambers websites.