Pupillage

3 Hare Court is a leading London set specialising in commercial litigation, travel, employment and public law. Members regularly appear in significant cases before courts and tribunals, as well as in arbitrations and inquiries, and provide specialist legal advice to clients in the UK and internationally.

The Chambers is committed to providing high-quality, hands-on training designed to give pupils the skills, knowledge and judgment required to build a successful career at the modern Bar.

3 Hare Court offers two fully funded 12-month pupillages each year. The Chambers' recent tenancy record is particularly strong. Over the last five years, every pupil who completed pupillage has been offered tenancy, with 10 out of 10 pupils progressing to tenancy.

The Pupillage

The 3 Hare Court pupillage is structured to provide pupils with broad exposure to Chambers' work while progressively increasing their responsibility.

At the beginning of pupillage, each pupil is allocated a pupil supervisor who is responsible for training and supervision during the first two months. Pupils then change supervisors every two months. Chambers aims to assign supervisors with different practices so that pupils experience as wide a range of work as possible.

A typical pupil can therefore work with up to six different supervisors during the 12-month programme.

The structure is intended to expose pupils to different areas of legal practice, working styles and types of advocacy before they begin developing their own practice.

Practical Legal Work

Pupils undertake substantial practical legal work throughout the year.

During the first six months, pupils spend much of their time working for their supervisors. This can include:

• Drafting pleadings.

• Preparing legal opinions.

• Drafting skeleton arguments.

• Preparing other legal documents.

• Conducting legal research.

• Attending hearings.

• Attending conferences.

• Assisting supervisors with case preparation.

Pupils accompany supervisors to hearings and conferences and receive direct exposure to how barristers prepare and present cases.

The first six months provide experience across all of Chambers' main practice areas, allowing pupils to develop a broad understanding of 3 Hare Court's work.

The Second Six

The second six months involve a significant increase in responsibility.

Pupils can expect to have their own clients and to attend court and tribunal hearings multiple times each week. This provides practical experience of managing matters and developing advocacy skills while continuing to receive appropriate supervision.

The second six is therefore an important transition towards independent practice. Pupils begin applying the skills developed during the first half of the year in real cases and gain experience of the day-to-day responsibilities of a practising barrister.

Advocacy Training

3 Hare Court runs a dedicated advocacy training programme during pupillage.

The programme includes mock hearings based on the same case, with exercises conducted by senior members of Chambers. The first two advocacy training sessions are not assessed, allowing pupils to develop their skills in a supportive environment before formal assessment begins.

Advocacy training complements the practical advocacy experience pupils gain during the second six, when they begin appearing regularly in court and tribunals.

Assessment and Feedback

3 Hare Court places significant emphasis on regular feedback and transparent assessment.

Pupils have monthly appraisals with their supervisors. These meetings review work undertaken, consider feedback received from other members of Chambers and identify areas for future development.

Pupils can also raise questions about their progress, training and any other issues affecting their pupillage.

At the end of each pupillage seat, the supervisor conducts a formal assessment of the pupil's work. Pupils are graded from 1 to 4, where 1 means the required standard has not been met and 4 means the standard has been exceeded.

The assessment considers five key criteria:

Intellectual ability and legal professional skills: The ability to identify, analyse and deal effectively with legal issues.

Impact and advocacy: The ability to present arguments effectively and make an appropriate impact.

Interpersonal skills: The ability to work effectively with clients, colleagues and other professionals.

Motivation: Commitment and energy towards developing a successful practice.

Temperament: The ability to deal appropriately with the demands and pressures of practice at the Bar.

The assessment process is designed to provide consistent feedback and give pupils opportunities to improve during the year.

Business Development and Professional Development

Pupils are encouraged to begin developing the skills needed to build their own practice from an early stage.

3 Hare Court places emphasis on business development and self-marketing during pupillage. Pupils can draw on the experience and relationships of members of Chambers and are encouraged to develop professional relationships of their own.

Pupils can contribute to Chambers' news and articles, participate in seminars and attend networking events. This provides experience of the wider professional responsibilities involved in building a successful practice at the Bar.

Practice Areas

3 Hare Court's principal practice areas include:

Commercial Litigation

Members act in commercial disputes involving businesses and organisations, including complex litigation and related advisory work.

Travel

The Chambers has a specialist travel law practice involving disputes and claims arising from travel and tourism.

Employment

Members advise and represent employers and employees in employment disputes and related proceedings.

Public Law

The public law practice covers disputes involving public authorities and wider issues of public and administrative law.

The Chambers' members appear in court and tribunal proceedings, arbitrations and inquiries, as well as providing specialist advice to clients in the UK and internationally.

What 3 Hare Court Looks For

3 Hare Court is looking for candidates who have the potential to become outstanding barristers and ultimately successful tenants of Chambers.

The recruitment process places particular importance on:

Strong academic ability: Candidates should demonstrate a strong academic background and the intellectual capacity to deal with demanding legal problems.

Lucidity of expression: The ability to communicate legal analysis clearly and precisely is important for both written and oral advocacy.

People skills: Barristers work closely with clients, solicitors, colleagues and other professionals, making strong interpersonal skills essential.

Motivation and energy: Candidates need the commitment and determination required to succeed in the competitive modern Bar.

The selection process is intended to identify candidates who are likely to become outstanding members of Chambers at the end of their pupillage.

Application Process

Applications for pupillage are made through the Pupillage Gateway.

For the October 2028 intake, applicants can browse the published vacancies from 23 November 2026. The application submission window opens at 11:00am on 4 January 2027.

Applications must be submitted by 11:59pm on 28 January 2027. No further applications or amendments can be made after the Gateway submission window closes.

Shortlisting and interviews usually take place in March.

The Chambers assesses applications against defined criteria and aims to identify candidates with the academic, analytical, advocacy and interpersonal qualities required for a successful career at the Bar.

Blind Recruitment

3 Hare Court uses a blind-marking process at the initial application sifting stage.

Candidates are allocated a number and assessors see the candidate number rather than personal identifying information. The assessor does not know information such as the candidate's sex, gender identity, age or ethnicity unless the candidate voluntarily discloses such information in an application answer.

Interview candidates are also assessed against defined and objective criteria.

Members involved in recruitment receive training in fair recruitment and selection processes, while anonymised diversity data is collected and reviewed to help Chambers improve access to the profession.

Equality and Diversity

3 Hare Court is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and actively seeks to increase diversity among its members, pupils and staff.

The Chambers particularly encourages applications from women, candidates from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, candidates with disabilities and LGBTQ+ candidates, together with applicants from other groups that are underrepresented in the legal profession.

3 Hare Court also participates in initiatives designed to widen access to the profession, including the 10,000 Black Interns programme, Social Mobility Foundation initiatives and IntoUniversity mentoring and work experience programmes.

Tenancy

Tenancy decisions are normally made after approximately nine months of pupillage, around the middle of July.

The decision is made collectively by Chambers and is based principally on the considered views of the pupil supervisors, including the formal assessments completed at the end of each pupillage seat.

The tenancy assessment focuses on the same five principal areas:

• Intellectual ability and legal professional skills.

• Impact and advocacy.

• Interpersonal skills.

• Motivation.

• Temperament.

Successful candidates must demonstrate that they can identify, analyse and argue the important issues, produce strong written work, cope with pressure and develop a sustainable legal practice.

3 Hare Court normally recruits junior tenants from those who have completed pupillage at Chambers.

Career Development After Pupillage

3 Hare Court recognises that obtaining tenancy is only the beginning of a barrister's career.

Junior tenants receive support in developing their practices, including a favourable rent structure during the early years of practice. Chambers also works to ensure that junior tenants receive a fair allocation of work and support in developing practices in their preferred areas.

New tenants can expect to gain experience across a broad range of civil and commercial work while developing their own professional relationships and client base.

Wellbeing and Mentoring

3 Hare Court recognises that pupillage can be demanding and provides a mentoring arrangement for pupils.

Each year, an experienced pupillage supervisor steps outside the pupil training programme and acts as a confidential mentor. Pupils can use this relationship to discuss concerns or difficulties independently of their usual training and supervision arrangements.

This provides an additional source of support alongside the day-to-day supervision and monthly appraisal process.

Pupillage Award

For pupils commencing in October 2027, 3 Hare Court currently advertises an award of £80,000.

The award comprises £70,000 during the first six months, followed by guaranteed earnings of £10,000 during the second six months, with the potential to earn more during the second six. Chambers also states that £10,000 may be drawn down during the Bar Professional Training Course.

For the October 2028 intake, applicants should check the final award published with the relevant Pupillage Gateway vacancy, as the current £80,000 figure is expressly identified as applying to the October 2027 intake.

3 Hare Court also pays for all compulsory courses that pupils are required to undertake during pupillage.

Accessibility

3 Hare Court will make reasonable adjustments for applicants where required.

Candidates with particular accessibility concerns or requirements can contact Chambers' Manager through the dedicated pupillage contact arrangements to discuss the support required during the recruitment process.

Application Deadline

Applications for the 3 Hare Court Pupillage 2028 open through the Pupillage Gateway at:

11:00am on 4 January 2027

The application deadline is:

11:59pm on 28 January 2027

Applications must be submitted through the Pupillage Gateway within this window.