Pupillage

5 Stone Buildings is a leading Chancery set based in Lincoln’s Inn, London. Chambers specialises in traditional Chancery and private client work, with particular strengths in trusts, wills and estates, taxation, Court of Protection, real property and related professional negligence.

Members also undertake specialist work involving pensions, art and cultural property, partnerships and other areas connected with Chambers’ core practice. The work encompasses both contentious and non-contentious matters, giving pupils exposure to litigation, advisory work and drafting.

The set is relatively small compared with the largest Chancery chambers. 5 Stone Buildings places considerable emphasis on close training, accessibility of senior members and preparing pupils to develop successful independent practices as junior tenants.

The Pupillage

5 Stone Buildings normally offers up to two 12-month pupillages each year. Pupils normally sit with four different pupil supervisors, with the intention of exposing them to different aspects of Chambers’ practice.

The pupillage is designed to provide a broad foundation in the specialist areas in which Chambers practises. Pupils are expected to develop the knowledge and practical skills necessary to advise clients, draft legal documents and participate in conferences and hearings.

Chambers describes the pupillage as challenging but supportive. Supervisors provide constructive feedback throughout the year, while members of Chambers are encouraged to share their knowledge and assist pupils when required.

Areas of Practice

5 Stone Buildings' principal areas of work include:

Trusts: Chambers advises and represents clients in relation to onshore and offshore trusts, including contentious and non-contentious matters.

Wills, Estates and Family Provision: Work includes succession, probate, estate administration and disputes concerning wills and provision from estates.

Tax: Members advise on personal taxation and tax issues arising in connection with private client and Chancery matters.

Court of Protection: Chambers has particular expertise in disputes and applications concerning the property and welfare of people who lack mental capacity.

Real Property: Members advise and act in relation to real property and landlord and tenant issues.

Professional Negligence: Chambers handles professional negligence claims associated with its core areas of practice.

Additional specialist work includes pensions, art and cultural property, partnerships and related areas of Chancery law.

Work Undertaken by Pupils

The pupillage is intended to develop both legal knowledge and practical advocacy and drafting skills.

Pupils work on a mixture of contentious and non-contentious matters. Typical work may include researching legal issues, preparing written advice, drafting pleadings, witness statements, skeleton arguments, deeds and other legal documents.

Pupils also attend court, conferences and mediations with members of Chambers. After the first six months, pupils may participate in conferences and hearings where appropriate.

The specialist nature of Chambers' practice means that significant time is devoted to developing a detailed understanding of trusts, estates, taxation, property and other areas of Chancery law. Chambers' stated approach is to treat pupillage primarily as a learning experience rather than requiring second-six pupils to undertake substantial amounts of independent work.

An advocacy assessment is also conducted during the year to help pupils develop their oral advocacy skills.

Pupillage Training Programme

Pupillage is conducted under 5 Stone Buildings' Pupillage Training Programme, which is designed to enable pupils to acquire the knowledge, skills and experience required to meet the competence standards applicable to practising barristers.

The programme is structured around the Professional Statement for Barristers and the relevant Bar Standards Board training requirements. Assessment and feedback are integrated into the pupillage rather than being confined to a single final assessment.

Pupils receive regular feedback on their work and are expected to use that feedback to improve their legal analysis, drafting, advocacy and professional skills.

Tenancy

5 Stone Buildings recruits pupils with the intention that successful pupils will ultimately become tenants.

The tenancy decision is normally made approximately nine months into pupillage. Chambers explains that it only offers pupillage to candidates whom it considers to have a good prospect of becoming successful tenants.

The Chambers has a strong recent record of retaining pupils. It states that almost all of its recent pupils have been taken on, while unsuccessful pupils are supported by their supervisors in seeking opportunities at other chambers.

What 5 Stone Buildings Looks For

5 Stone Buildings' recruitment policy focuses on the ability and potential to become a successful member of Chambers.

The qualities sought include:

Career motivation: Commitment to the Bar, Chancery work and 5 Stone Buildings, together with ambition.

Intellectual ability: Strong analytical ability, intellectual agility, attention to detail and the ability to manage substantial amounts of information.

Communication skills: Clarity, precision, persuasiveness and the ability to deal effectively with clients and professional relationships.

Personal qualities: Efficiency, organisation, resilience, initiative, the ability to work as part of a team and the confidence to develop and promote a professional practice.

Applicants should normally have achieved at least a 2:1 degree. Applications are welcomed from both law and non-law graduates.

Recruitment Process

Applications are made through the Pupillage Gateway.

For the upcoming recruitment cycle, the application window opens on 4 January 2027 and closes on 28 January 2027.

Stage 1: Application and Paper Sift

Following the closing date, applications are reviewed through a paper sift.

The recruitment process is designed to identify candidates who demonstrate the intellectual ability, communication skills, motivation and personal qualities required for a career at the Chancery Bar.

5 Stone Buildings also uses contextual recruitment information when reviewing pupillage applications.

Stage 2: First-Round Interview

Candidates who pass the paper sift are invited to a competency-based interview with two members of Chambers.

The first-round interview normally takes place in March.

Before the interview, candidates are required to provide a written answer to a legal problem question. Candidates may then be asked questions about their answer during the interview.

Stage 3: Assessment Day

Candidates who successfully complete the first-round interview are invited to an assessment day at Chambers in April.

The assessment day provides candidates with an opportunity to meet members and staff, learn more about Chambers and gain a better understanding of its work and working environment.

Candidates are also assessed through a legal problem which they consider during the assessment day and discuss during an interview with a larger panel of members.

Stage 4: Pupillage Offer

Offers of pupillage are made through the Pupillage Gateway in accordance with the applicable Gateway timetable.

The current Gateway timetable provides for offers for the 2028 cycle to be made on 7 May 2027.

Pupillage Award

The current published pupillage award at 5 Stone Buildings is up to £75,000.

Part of the award is tax free, and Chambers pays for compulsory courses undertaken during pupillage.

Up to 25% of the pupillage award can be drawn down during the BPTC year, helping successful candidates meet the costs associated with their Bar training before pupillage begins.

The published financial information should be checked against the final 2028 Pupillage Gateway advert before applying, as Chambers may update its pupillage award for future intakes.

Mini-Pupillage

5 Stone Buildings also offers two-day mini-pupillages.

Mini-pupils generally sit with junior members of Chambers, attend hearings and conferences and undertake accessible legal work, including work on opinions. Mini-pupillages are not formally assessed and are intended to give candidates an opportunity to experience life at the Chancery Bar.

Mini-pupillages are normally scheduled in March, June, October and December.

The published application deadlines are 15 January for the March session, 15 April for June, 15 August for October and 15 October for December.

Chambers may cover reasonable expenses associated with attending a mini-pupillage in suitable cases, including travel, accommodation, childcare or lost earnings.

Equality and Diversity

5 Stone Buildings welcomes applications from law and non-law graduates and is committed to fair and objective recruitment.

Its recruitment policy identifies equality of opportunity and non-discrimination as principles applicable to the selection of pupils and mini-pupils. Chambers also uses contextual recruitment information to help assess applications in their wider circumstances.

5 Stone Buildings also participates in widening-access initiatives, including the Bar Council's Bar Placement Programme, which gives students from different backgrounds the opportunity to gain experience of life at the Bar.

Application Deadline

The application deadline for 5 Stone Buildings Pupillage 2028 is:

28 January 2027 at 11:59pm

Applications must be submitted through the Pupillage Gateway. The application window opens on 4 January 2027 at 11:00am.

How to Apply

Candidates should apply through the Pupillage Gateway during the January 2027 application window.

Applicants should review 5 Stone Buildings' published recruitment information and its Pupillage Qualities and Abilities Guidance before submitting an application.