We see our pupils as our upcoming tenants and our junior tenants as our future. All pupillages offered by 36 Group are specialist pupillages attached to one of the Practice Groups. Pupils are always recruited with a view to tenancy, and only in exceptional circumstances would a pupil not be invited to apply for tenancy at the conclusion of their pupillage.

Pupils will have at least two Pupil Supervisors from their core Practice Group and will have the opportunity to observe and undertake a range of work across the areas of specialism of their core Practice Group.

In addition, pupils will have a Supporting Pupil Supervisor from a different Practice Group in each of their six month periods of pupillage, and will have the opportunity to spend around 20% of their time working in their subsidiary practice area with their Supporting Pupil Supervisor. Subsidiary areas of practice will be chosen in consultation with the pupil on commencing pupillage.

Practice Managers for each Practice Group assist individual barristers with their practice development and will discuss with pupils their practice development interests and needs as second six approaches and on a continuing basis.

Our barristers and staff work as a team to achieve the best for Chambers and for the individuals, and our barristers are offered a high level of support with running a self employed practice. The Practice Groups are supported by a well-funded marketing strategy tailored to each Practice Group’s particular needs, including providing regular high level training for clients as a means of showcasing barristers’ skills.

The Head of Pupillage is Marisa Allman who can be contacted at mallman@36family.co.uk. Marisa does not mark applications or interview candidates. As such, any queries, concerns or requests for reasonable adjustments can be raised with her without impacting on a candidate’s application for pupillage.

General enquiries may also be sent to pupillage@36group.co.uk.


Pupillage recruitment news 2023/24

We welcome our new pupils undertaking pupillage in 2023/2024; Dan Mander, Jenny Raw, Bethany Smith, Kaitlyn Crowe, Sophie Lucas.

Congratulations to the successful candidates who will commence their pupillage in October 2024; Victoria Christie, Shahead Ghani Miah and Abd Al-Rahman Modibbo Banu Az-Zubair

Having recruited for 2024, The 36 Group is not advertising for pupils in this round. As a chambers we have made a decision to recruit in 2024/2025 for both October 2025 and October 2026 pupils concurrently. As a result, you won’t see us at the pupillage fairs this year. This decision will still ensure that we accept pupils every year, but will also allow the pupillage committee an opportunity for an in depth review of our pupillage recruitment process and our pupillage training programme. We aim to ensure that our recruitment processes are as fair as possible, and that our pupils receive the highest level of training possible, and this is valuable time for us to optimise our policies. There will be more news on our website during 2024 about changes to our processes and training.


Pupillage recruitment at 36 Group 2025 onwards

All pupillage vacancies at 36 Group are placed on the Pupillage Gateway, which is the annual online application system for pupillage operated by the Bar Standards Board. All candidates are expected to apply through the Gateway, including those with a waiver.

The 36 Group looks for excellence in its pupils. Applications are welcomed from all highly talented candidates regardless of nationality, ethnicity, religion, age, gender, sexuality, health, disability, neurodiversity or family / financial / other personal circumstances. Increasing access to, and diversity of, the bar and of the 36 Group are important to us, and we strive to ensure that our processes are as fair and inclusive as possible.

Applications from overseas candidates are welcomed. All candidates will need to demonstrate their commitment to the Bar of England and Wales and to Chambers. Any offer of pupillage will be subject to the offeree having the right to work and remain in England.

The Bar Council provides sponsorship for holders of an offer of pupillage or tenancy.  Information is provided at www.barcouncil.org.uk/becomingabarrister/pupil-barristers/immigration-support-for-pupil-barristers.html

Candidates who need a visa to be able to live and work in the UK during or after pupillage are welcome to contact the Head of Pupillage to discuss their circumstances.

We aim to make our pupillage application process as rigorous and fair as possible, and to encourage the widest diversity of exceptional applicants. Pupils are selected according to our selection criteria. The selection criteria can be found here.

Full details of our pupillage application process, and of our policies and procedures are set out in our Pupillage Policy.

The 36 Group recruits for specialist pupillages attached to individual practice groups. Applicants may apply for pupillage in more than one practice area, applications in each practice area will be marked separately.

Pupillage awards are comprised of a core grant during the first six months and guaranteed earnings during the second six months. Pupils are paid in 12 equal monthly instalments throughout pupillage.

Pupils also have the option to draw down an advance on a portion of their core grant during the 12 months prior to commencing pupillage to assist with meeting financial commitments.

Given the high level of our pupillage awards, pupils are expected to meet travel expenses from their awards. Additional discretionary travel expenses can be applied for in unusual circumstances or where reasonable adjustments are required due to disability.

Chambers will take active steps to reduce the obstacles that disability presents in the application process. Where reasonable adjustments are requested, required or implemented this plays no part in marking applications or deciding whether to offer a candidate an interview or a pupillage. Any applicant who wishes to discuss reasonable adjustments or any particular needs arising from a disability is invited to contact the Head of Pupillage, who is not involved in marking application forms or interviewing prospective pupils.

The ground floor of our premises is wheelchair accessible by prior arrangement and our toilet facilities are partially accessible. This is due to the age and structure of the building. Arrangements will be made for access to alternative toilet facilities in Gray’s Inn if not accessible to a particular visitor.

Our Pupillage Policy and pupillage application process are reviewed annually. The questions and mark scheme for the most recent recruitment round for each Practice Group can be found here as a guide.

Crime Mark Scheme
Family Mark Scheme
Public and Human Rights Mark Scheme

Applicants for pupillage are not expected to have completed mini-pupillage with us previously. See our separate mini-pupillage page for details of mini-pupillage opportunities.


Pupil experience

We are firmly committed to providing our pupils with the best possible pupillage experience and training. Pupil development and wellbeing are hugely important to us. Pupils will be nurtured and supported to reach their full potential throughout their pupillage and beyond. We pride ourselves on being a welcoming, sociable and supportive team of barristers and staff members and want all of our pupils to feel welcome in Chambers. Pupils will be supported not only by their Pupil Supervisors, but also the Head of Pupillage, their Practice Manager and Clerks, the Pupillage Officer for their Practice Group, a ‘Chambers Buddy’ and all members of the pupil’s Practice Group.

Testimonials from recent pupils reflect the rich experience that pupillage at The 36 Group offers;

I would highly recommend pupillage with 36 Family. In my first six, I shadowed not only my pupil supervisors but many other members of Chambers. This allowed me to observe a rich variety of cases which fed through into my second six, where I developed a busy practice across the full spectrum of family law. Whilst pupillage is undoubtedly a steep learning curve, I have been consistently supported and encouraged by everyone in chambers. I am extremely grateful to all members of the team, and in particular my supervisors, for being willing to answer my questions and queries throughout pupillage. I also feel very fortunate to have built a strong friendship with my co-pupils in other practice areas, as we progressed through pupillage together.
Jenny Wilson – Family Pupillage, 2022–23


The 36 Group offering is unique in that you are able to gain experience in another team for 20% of your pupillage. Spending a month with the Crime team, despite being a Commercial pupil, gave me invaluable insight into the highest levels of cross-examination. I was also fortunate enough to work within the 36 Public team, which allowed me to gain practical experience on my feet across a range of housing and immigration cases. I now use all of the practical skills gained in my day-to-day work. Finishing with in-depth commercial work as part of the 36 Stone team, I found the rigour and collaborative approach enriching and hugely beneficial to my practice now. I also had a great ‘buddy’ in Chambers who I felt I could approach about any issues. It was a huge learning curve, but I ended pupillage feeling like I was ready to take on the real world of practice independently.
Dr Satya Talwar Mouland – Commercial Pupillage,2022–23


From the very beginning of my pupillage it was made clear that Chambers’ priority was to ensure I was given the experience I would need for a successful career at the Bar. Throughout pupillage I was invited to indicate what experiences I thought would find most useful and how I saw my practice developing. My supervisors and clerks worked hard to ensure I shadowed the work I wanted to in my first six months and had a broad exposure to the work of Chambers. All members of Chambers I worked with were welcoming and freely gave their time up to provide feedback and explain things. At no point was there an impression I was there to provide cheap labour for other members of Chambers.

A similar approach was adopted in my second six. The clerks ensured, particularly at the start of my second six, that I had sufficient time in my diary to prepare cases and received a variety of work. I was invited to indicate the work I would want to explore and given opportunities to expand my practice. At all stages I felt well supported by Chambers and the clerking team.
Sebastian Walker – Crime Pupillage, 2020–2021


I sought a pupillage where I could train in the full spectrum of family work at a set which was ambitious but grounded. This is precisely what 36 Family provided. Its reputation for accessibility was borne out in the generosity of members with their time. I am extremely grateful to each of my supervisors and many other members for sharing their knowledge and experience at crucial moments. I was made to feel confident that tenancy turned only on the quality of my work. 36 Family offers a supportive and modern community as well as the opportunity to build a thriving practice.

During your first six, you can expect to see and learn from leading barristers across finance and children work. During your second six, you can expect a busy practice from the outset with court hearings most days, including trials. Your caseload will be divided between finance and private children matters. You will also have the opportunity to assist with cases at the highest level throughout pupillage. There are always senior members of Chambers willing to offer advice which helps with the unavoidably steep learning curve. The support of pupils in other practice areas is also invaluable.
Lara Izzard-Hobbs – Family Pupillage, 2020–2021


I have thoroughly enjoyed my pupillage experience with The 36 Group. I have worked on a variety of matters ranging from general commercial to complex and novel shipping disputes. It is rare to have the opportunity to work with some of the leading minds in an area of law that has interested me for years.

What is unique about The 36 Group is that firstly, the work is incredibly international and there is no case that goes without some conflict of laws, jurisdiction or extra-territorial element. Secondly, each member of the group is incredibly welcoming and genuinely wants to support you in your career, whether by way of a coffee, a virtual meeting or a call for advice when things don’t go according to plan on one of your briefs. I would strongly recommend The 36 Group to any aspiring pupil who wants to work hard and be rewarded.
Lydia Myers – Stone Pupillage, 2020–2021


It was made clear to me right from the start that Chambers was interested in what I wanted to do, and what areas of practice I wanted to develop. I felt comfortable stating honestly what I found interesting, and where I saw myself going over the next few years. Both my supervisors and the clerks went out of their way to find me people to shadow or work to do that suited those interests, even if it was outside our team.

The clerks were so supportive during my second six. We had really useful discussions about how I would progress over the coming months, what sort of work schedule I could expect, and what areas I could branch into. I was never made to feel like I just had to ‘do what I was told’ – it was a collaborative effort, and made the whole experience better.
Tom Parker – Crime Pupillage, 2019–2020


While my pupillage was focused on developing the legal knowledge, skills and expertise required for practice in commercial law, Chambers also encouraged me to engage with its other practice specialisms during my training. Doing so provided me with additional opportunities to hone my advocacy skills and to familiarise myself with different court settings and procedures. Moreover, it helped me to better appreciate how legal issues common to my chosen specialism can arise in other practice areas too, providing further opportunities for me to develop my commercial law skills and to grow my practice. This is one of the many advantages I believe there are to completing a specialist pupillage within a multi-specialist set like The 36 Group.
Paul Schwartfeger – Commerical Pupillage, 2019–2020