We are keen to extend mini-pupillage opportunities to the widest range of applicants who may be considering a career at the bar.
As a Chambers, we are committed to reducing barriers to the profession.
Mini-pupillage offers experience of working life as a barrister but is also an important opportunity to make connections and get to know different sets of Chambers.
Our mini-pupillages are not assessed and are not a requirement of applications for Pupillage at The 36 Group.
Please see our separate Pupillage page for information about Pupillage at the 36 Group.
Applications are welcome from all candidates regardless of nationality, ethnicity, religion, age, gender, sexuality, health, disability, neurodiversity or family/other circumstances.
Our mini-pupillage opportunities can be obtained in one of three ways: the annual, Chambers competition; Bar-wide schemes (Bridging the Bar or 10,000 Black Interns); and team-specific applications. Opportunities to apply for for mini-pupillage with Chambers’ individual practice teams are available on an ad-hoc basis and will be advertised through our social media pages.
We offered work experience to 4 applicants in 2023 through the 10,000 Black Interns initiative.
Chambers pride itself on being a friendly and supportive team of barristers and staff members. We want all our mini-pupils to feel welcome to have the opportunity to discuss life at the bar and to speak freely with those who supervise them during the week. We will work with any successful applicants for mini-pupillage requiring additional support to ensure they can take full advantage of the opportunities that mini-pupillage offers.
When attending mini-pupillage, on each day of the course, mini–pupils are offered the opportunity to attend court hearings, arbitration appointments and client conferences, or to work on legal research in Chambers.
It is expected that mini-pupils will attend for the whole week and will spend time with a number of different counsel. The hours will likely by from 9 to 5 each day but we can accommodate your needs.
Mini-pupils are expected to enter into a confidentiality agreement.
In 2025, we ran an oral advocacy competition which led to 38 mini-pupillage being offered. We will be administering our next competition in 2026. Details will be shared on our website and social media once determined.
Details of the 2025 Oral Advocacy Competition are set out below.
The applications are judged on the merit of the oral advocacy submission alone. Judges will have no other background information on the candidate.
The competition is open to applicants who are 18 years old or over and have not already been offered pupillage.
You may be doing a degree in law, completing or waiting to start a GDL or BVC, but it is not necessary that you are doing any of those things.
Applicants must be available to take up mini-pupillage in person, based in London in 2025. The aim is to offer 5 consecutive days between June and August 2025.
The timetable is as follows:
- Mini-pupillage applications open 1.3.25
- Applications must be submitted by 1.4.25
- You will receive an answer from Chambers by 1.5.25
Please answer this question by way of a video submission
Proposition: AI in the law; for or against?
1. Set out your answer to the proposition providing a compelling argument underpinned by evidence.
2. Your evidence is available here and should be limited to the appended article and those available in the footnotes, here.
3. Please do not supplement your evidence with any independent research.
4. You may want to consider the following structure:
(a) Introduction
(b) Proposition
(c) The position you are arguing for
(d) Reasons for your argument with reference to specific evidence
(e) Summary of the position
5. The time limit is flexible but do spend at least 3 minutes and do not exceed 5 minutes.
6. Please do not send any other materials or information about yourself.
You may find the following video useful.
Applications must be submitted by 1.4.25 by email to Kelly@36group.co.uk
