Pupillage

Erskine Chambers is a specialist commercial and Chancery set based in London. Its practice focuses on corporate law, commercial litigation, restructuring and insolvency, financial services, and international and offshore work.

The Chambers is particularly well known for company law and related commercial disputes. Its barristers act in complex and high-value matters and advise on issues arising in corporate transactions, shareholder disputes, insolvency, financial services and commercial litigation. Erskine combines specialist technical expertise with a commercially focused approach to legal problems.

The Pupillage

Erskine Chambers offers up to two 12-month pupillages each year.

The pupillage is designed to provide both a broad foundation for practice at the commercial and Chancery Bar and detailed exposure to the specialist areas in which Chambers practises.

Pupils work closely with first-class barristers and are involved in their supervisors' practices from an early stage. Work can involve complex and high-value disputes, with pupils given opportunities to develop their legal research, drafting, analytical and advocacy skills.

The Chambers' specialist practice means that pupils can quickly develop detailed knowledge of company, insolvency and related commercial law while also gaining experience of a wide variety of disputes and advisory work.

Work During Pupillage

Pupils are involved in their supervisors' work from the beginning of pupillage. Typical tasks include preparing first drafts of documents, carrying out legal research, analysing complex papers and assisting with litigation and advisory work.

Pupils may also have the opportunity to observe or assist with significant court proceedings. The Chambers gives examples of pupils attending proceedings in the Supreme Court and assisting more junior barristers with trials in the County Court.

The work can be technically demanding and intellectually challenging. Pupils are not expected to arrive with specialist technical knowledge, but they are expected to approach unfamiliar areas of law with an open mind and a willingness to engage fully with the work they are given.

Practice Areas

Erskine Chambers' principal areas of practice include:

Corporate: Company law, corporate transactions, shareholder disputes and Companies Court applications.

Commercial Litigation: Commercial disputes involving companies, shareholders and other businesses.

Restructuring and Insolvency: Contentious and non-contentious insolvency work, including complex restructuring disputes.

Financial Services: Disputes and advisory work concerning financial services and regulation.

International and Offshore: Cross-border commercial and corporate disputes involving international and offshore jurisdictions.

The Chambers' wider work also includes minority shareholder disputes, contentious insolvency, commercial advisory work and other specialist company law matters.

Academic Background

Erskine Chambers considers candidates with both law and non-law degrees.

A law degree is not essential, and a number of recent tenants did not study law at university. Candidates are not required to have studied company or insolvency law before applying, although those who have had the opportunity to study these subjects are generally expected to have done so.

The Chambers also has members who transferred to the Bar from other professions, including former academics and solicitors.

What Erskine Chambers Looks For

Erskine's recruitment process focuses particularly on analytical skill and reasoning.

The Chambers looks for candidates who can understand complex information, identify the important issues and reach well-reasoned conclusions. It also looks for candidates who can communicate their reasoning clearly and demonstrate the potential to develop into effective commercial and Chancery barristers.

The interview exercises are deliberately designed to be fair to candidates regardless of their previous experience of law. Candidates are therefore assessed on their ability to analyse and reason through a problem rather than simply on their existing knowledge of specialist areas.

Application Process

Erskine Chambers is a member of the Pupillage Gateway and applications are made through the Gateway.

For pupillage commencing in October 2028, the national Gateway timetable provides for applications to open on 4 January 2027 at 11:00am and close on 28 January 2027 at 11:59pm. Applications cannot be submitted after the deadline and extensions are not available.

The Chambers' recruitment process consists of two interviews.

First Interview

Erskine normally interviews approximately 10 to 14 candidates at the first-round stage.

The interview involves discussion of a case or hypothetical legal problem. The exercise is designed to assess candidates' analytical ability and reasoning and is selected with the intention of providing a fair assessment regardless of the candidate's previous legal experience.

Second Interview

Approximately five to seven candidates normally progress to the second interview.

The second interview again involves discussion of a case or hypothetical legal problem. Candidates are assessed on their ability to analyse the problem, reason through the issues and explain their conclusions.

The two-stage process allows Chambers to assess candidates in greater depth before making pupillage offers.

Pupillage Award

The current published pupillage award is £80,000.

The award is divided into:

First six months: £45,000 scholarship

Second six months: £35,000

Up to £20,000 of the first-six-month award can be drawn down before pupillage begins. Chambers also covers the cost of compulsory courses undertaken during pupillage.

The £80,000 figure is the current published award and should be checked against the final 2028 Gateway advertisement if Chambers updates its financial package before applications open.

Tenancy

Erskine Chambers aims to offer pupillage only to candidates whom it considers to have a realistic prospect of obtaining tenancy.

Pupils are not expected to compete against each other for a fixed number of tenancy places. Chambers' stated aim is for all pupils who meet the required standard to become tenants.

The tenancy decision is normally reached approximately nine to ten months into pupillage. Erskine reports that its retention rate in recent years has been high. Where a pupil is not taken on, Chambers provides assistance in pursuing other career routes.

Life After Pupillage

Successful pupils who become tenants normally spend three to six months in the corporate department of a leading City law firm before beginning their tenancy at Erskine.

The placement is intended to give new tenants practical experience of corporate law and the commercial environment in which many of their future instructions arise.

After this initial period, junior tenants generally divide their time between their own work and being led by more senior members of Chambers.

Their own work can include contentious insolvency, commercial and minority shareholder disputes, Companies Court applications and advisory work for smaller firms. Led work provides exposure to larger litigation and City advisory matters.

Erskine also provides support for junior tenants as they establish their practices. New tenants are not required to pay rent for their Chambers room during their first year in practice and are not liable for Chambers' expenses during the first year, or until receipts exceed £100,000, subject to the terms described by Chambers.

Mini-Pupillage

A mini-pupillage is not a prerequisite for applying for pupillage at Erskine Chambers.

Chambers nevertheless encourages prospective applicants with an interest in its work to apply for a mini-pupillage. Mini-pupillages normally last one or two days and are not formally assessed.

Mini-pupils generally sit with a junior member of Chambers and may have the opportunity to observe more senior barristers, including attending court or conferences. Chambers also aims to give mini-pupils an opportunity to meet other members and experience the working environment.

Reasonable travelling expenses are reimbursed. Mini-pupillages are conducted in person rather than virtually.

For the current mini-pupillage programme, applications are subject to separate deadlines covering periods between October 2026 and January 2027, February and April 2027, and May and July 2027.

Travel Expenses

Candidates invited to interview can have their reasonable travelling expenses reimbursed by Chambers.

Application Deadline

Applications for the Erskine Chambers Pupillage 2028 should be made through the Pupillage Gateway.

Applications open: 4 January 2027 at 11:00am
Application deadline: 28 January 2027 at 11:59pm
Pupillage start: October 2028
Pupillages available: Up to two
Current published award: £80,000

Candidates should check the final Gateway advertisement when it is published for any updated award, application questions or recruitment requirements.