Pupillahe

4 New Square Chambers is a leading commercial set based at Lincoln's Inn in London. Its barristers practise across a range of specialist areas, with a particular reputation for high-value commercial and professional disputes.

The Chambers' principal areas of work include commercial litigation, professional negligence, construction, costs litigation, professional discipline, financial services, insurance, international arbitration, sports law and public law. Its barristers act in significant domestic and cross-border disputes and regularly work on complex matters involving leading solicitors' firms and major commercial clients.

4 New Square aims to recruit approximately four new tenants each year and, wherever possible, seeks to recruit those tenants from its own 12-month pupils. Pupils are not streamed against one another, and each pupil has an equal opportunity to demonstrate that they have reached the required standard for tenancy.

The Pupillage

The 4 New Square pupillage is a 12-month training programme designed to provide pupils with extensive exposure to the work undertaken by members of Chambers while preparing them for practice at the commercial Bar.

At the beginning of the year, pupils are introduced to as many members of Chambers, clerks and staff as practicable. This provides an opportunity to understand the different practices within Chambers and to develop professional relationships from the outset.

The training programme combines supervised casework, legal research, drafting, advocacy, court attendance and structured assessment.

Pupils work on live matters and can see how their work contributes to cases being conducted by their supervisors. The experience can include commercial litigation, professional negligence, civil fraud, construction and public law, alongside other areas within Chambers' practice.

Real Legal Work

Pupils undertake work connected with live cases rather than completing a programme based solely on simulated exercises.

Typical work can include:

• Legal research on complex issues.

• Drafting written advice.

• Preparing pleadings and other court documents.

• Assisting with ongoing litigation.

• Preparing written submissions.

• Attending hearings.

• Assisting supervisors with conferences and case preparation.

• Working on commercial and professional disputes.

• Supporting work involving construction, professional negligence, civil fraud and public law.

The breadth of work enables pupils to develop an understanding of how barristers approach complex legal and factual problems and how written work is used within a wider litigation strategy. A recent pupil described seeing work across almost all of Chambers' practice areas and assisting with ongoing cases during the year.

Second Six

The second six provides pupils with increasing practical responsibility and greater exposure to advocacy.

Pupils can undertake their own cases under appropriate supervision and gain experience of appearing in court. 4 New Square specifically highlights the opportunity for pupils to gain substantial court experience during their second six.

Pupils are also permitted to retain earnings from work undertaken during their second six.

The objective is to ensure that pupils develop the practical skills required for independent practice while continuing to receive appropriate supervision and support.

Training and Development

4 New Square's pupillage is designed around both training and assessment.

Pupils receive feedback on their work throughout the year and are supported in identifying areas for improvement. The Chambers' current pupillage policy emphasises that pupillage is not intended to be a "survival test" and that the purpose of the process is to provide fair, effective and transparent assessment while helping pupils develop the competencies required by the Bar Standards Board's Professional Statement for Barristers.

The training programme therefore combines assessed and unassessed work. It is intended to help pupils demonstrate the professional competencies required for practice while giving supervisors sufficient information to assess their suitability for tenancy.

Practice Areas

4 New Square offers a broad commercial and specialist practice.

Commercial Litigation

Barristers advise and represent clients in substantial commercial disputes, including complex contractual and business disputes.

Professional Negligence

The Chambers has a significant professional negligence practice involving claims against professionals and disputes arising from professional services.

Construction

Construction and engineering disputes form an important part of Chambers' practice, including complex commercial litigation and related advisory work.

Costs Litigation

Members act in disputes concerning legal costs and litigation funding.

Professional Discipline

The Chambers represents professionals and professional bodies in disciplinary and regulatory matters.

Financial Services

Barristers advise and act in disputes involving financial institutions and financial services businesses.

Insurance

The insurance practice covers disputes and advisory work involving insurers, policyholders and complex insurance issues.

International Arbitration

Members act in international commercial arbitration and related cross-border disputes.

Sports Law

4 New Square has a specialist sports law practice involving disputes and advisory work within the sports sector.

Public Law

Members also undertake public law work, giving pupils exposure to disputes involving public bodies and wider regulatory issues.

What 4 New Square Looks For

Candidates for pupillage must demonstrate both the ability and motivation to succeed in the areas of work in which members of Chambers specialise.

The successful candidate is expected to demonstrate strong intellectual ability, analytical reasoning and the capacity to deal with complex legal problems. Strong written and oral advocacy skills are also important because Chambers' work involves substantial contentious and advisory practice.

Candidates should also show a genuine interest in the work undertaken at 4 New Square and demonstrate the motivation required to develop a successful practice at the commercial Bar.

The selection process therefore looks beyond academic results alone. Candidates need to demonstrate that they have the intellectual ability, communication skills, judgement and commitment required for practice in a highly competitive commercial set.

Academic and Other Requirements

4 New Square's recruitment information focuses on candidates' ability and motivation to succeed in its specialist areas of practice rather than identifying a single rigid candidate profile. Applicants should review the current Pupillage Gateway vacancy and application requirements carefully before applying.

A mini-pupillage is not essential for an application. However, 4 New Square encourages prospective applicants to undertake mini-pupillage where possible because it provides an opportunity to understand the demands of life at the Bar and to decide whether a career at Chambers is right for them.

Application Process

Applications for standard pupillage are made through the Pupillage Gateway in accordance with the relevant annual Gateway timetable.

Candidates should review the current vacancy when it is published because the Gateway application window, assessment timetable and specific requirements can change from one recruitment cycle to another.

4 New Square also provides information and guidance for prospective applicants through its pupillage materials, videos and other recruitment resources.

Mini-Pupillage

A mini-pupillage is not a mandatory prerequisite for applying for pupillage at 4 New Square.

However, Chambers encourages prospective applicants to undertake one. A mini-pupillage allows candidates to experience the working environment, observe barristers and gain a better understanding of the nature of commercial practice.

It can also help candidates assess whether the demands and working style of the commercial Bar suit their career objectives.

Pupillage Award and Financial Support

The current 4 New Square website lists a £90,000 total annual award for pupillage commencing in 2026.

Of this amount, £10,000 is paid immediately upon acceptance of the offer, while a further £20,000 can be drawn down during the BPTC year. Pupils are also permitted to retain earnings from work undertaken during their second six.

Because the published £90,000 figure is expressly tied to pupils commencing in 2026, candidates applying for a later intake should check the award applicable to their own commencement year rather than assuming that the figure will remain unchanged.

Prospects for Tenancy

4 New Square aims to recruit approximately four new tenants each year and seeks, wherever possible, to recruit those tenants from its own 12-month pupils.

The Chambers does not stream pupils or operate a system in which pupils compete for a fixed number of tenancy places. Instead, pupils are assessed against an objective standard. The stated aim is that every pupil who reaches the required standard should be offered tenancy.

Tenancy is not guaranteed. However, Chambers provides assistance to pupils who are not offered tenancy in seeking alternative opportunities at other chambers or solicitors' firms.

Support and Working Environment

4 New Square places considerable emphasis on supporting pupils throughout the year.

Pupils are encouraged to attend Chambers regularly so that they can meet other members, clerks and staff and participate in Chambers' activities. Supervisors may sometimes work remotely, but other members of Chambers and staff remain available to provide assistance.

The current pupillage policy also makes clear that Chambers wants pupils to succeed and feel supported throughout pupillage. The training and assessment structure is intended to provide pupils with opportunities to develop rather than simply test their ability to cope under pressure.

Equality and Diversity

4 New Square is committed to equality and inclusion and states that talented barristers, clerks and staff can come from all backgrounds.

The Chambers aims to provide an environment in which individuals can develop their careers regardless of background and incorporates equality and diversity considerations into its recruitment and working practices.

Application Deadline

The specific application deadline for the relevant 4 New Square pupillage intake should be checked against the Pupillage Gateway vacancy when applications open.

4 New Square's current pupillage page does not provide a separate fixed deadline for the next intake, so no unconfirmed deadline is included here.