Pupillage

No5 Barristers' Chambers is one of the largest sets of barristers' chambers in the UK, with more than 260 barristers, including over 40 King's Counsel. The Chambers has offices in Birmingham, London and Bristol and acts for clients nationally and internationally across a broad range of legal disciplines.

No5 combines established areas of practice with specialist work in developing areas of law. Its barristers act in complex litigation and advisory matters across business and property, clinical negligence, crime, employment, family, immigration, international human rights, personal injury, planning and environment, public law, regulatory and licensing, and related specialist areas.

The Pupillage

No5's pupillage is structured around a 12-month full-time training period. Pupillages are offered with a view to tenancy, subject to pupils meeting the required benchmark standards.

Pupils are normally recruited into a particular core practice group and are based in the location associated with that group. Although the principal focus is on the selected practice area, pupils may gain exposure to other areas during their first six months and may undertake work outside their principal area during their second six.

The Pupillage Committee monitors pupils throughout the year to ensure that they are progressing appropriately and that their training needs are being met. Pupils also receive support from a junior barrister acting as a mentor, providing an additional source of pastoral guidance separate from the formal supervisory relationship.

Practice Areas

No5's current recruitment information identifies the following principal groups for pupillage:

Business and Property: Commercial litigation, company and partnership disputes, insolvency, private wealth disputes, real estate and related property litigation.

Crime: Serious and complex criminal litigation, including prosecution and defence work in the Crown Court and Magistrates' Court.

Employment: Employment and discrimination litigation, including Tribunal proceedings and cases before the Employment Appeal Tribunal, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

Family: Public and private children law, divorce and matrimonial finance, including complex financial remedy proceedings.

Planning and Environment: Planning, environmental law, major infrastructure, planning appeals, judicial and statutory reviews, compulsory purchase and related litigation.

Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence: Serious personal injury and clinical negligence claims, including high-value litigation and cases involving complex medical and factual issues.

No5's wider practice also includes public law, immigration, international human rights, Court of Protection, regulatory and licensing work, inquests and public inquiries.

Business and Property

The Business and Property Group comprises more than 40 barristers specialising in contentious commercial and Chancery litigation.

Pupils can gain experience in commercial litigation, company and partnership disputes, insolvency, private wealth disputes and real estate. Work can include high-value contractual and shareholder disputes, insolvency applications, property litigation, contentious trusts and probate and related advisory work.

During the first six, pupils work closely with members of the group on research, drafting and case strategy. During the second six, they begin conducting their own advocacy and providing written and oral advice under supervision.

Crime

No5's Crime Group includes King's Counsel and junior barristers who undertake serious and complex criminal litigation.

Pupils can gain experience in both prosecution and defence work, assisting with case preparation, legal and procedural research and written submissions. Most court work is carried out in the Midlands, although opportunities may arise elsewhere.

The second six provides substantial advocacy experience in the Crown Court and Magistrates' Court. The clerking team assists pupils in managing their diaries and developing their practice while they continue to complete their pupillage requirements.

Employment

No5's Employment Group is recognised as a leading employment set, with members acting in complex employment and discrimination disputes.

Pupils can expect to see a broad range of Employment Tribunal claims during their first six months. Work may include legal research, drafting advice, pleadings and skeleton arguments.

During the second six, pupils begin conducting their own advocacy, initially dealing with shorter preliminary hearings and more straightforward claims before progressing to more complex employment and discrimination litigation.

Family

The Family Group undertakes both public and private children work, together with divorce and matrimonial finance.

Pupils may work on cases involving local authorities, parents and children in the Family Court, as well as private children disputes. The group also handles financial remedy proceedings ranging from interlocutory applications to high-value cases involving substantial assets.

During the first six, pupils work primarily with their supervisor while also gaining experience from other members of the group, including silks and junior barristers. Towards the end of the first six, pupils spend more time with junior members to prepare for their second-six practice.

Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence

No5's Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence Groups have substantial national practices and act for both claimants and defendants.

The groups handle serious personal injury and clinical negligence cases involving individuals, insurers, NHS Trusts, local authorities, government bodies, medical defence organisations and private institutions.

Pupils work under one or more supervisors while gaining experience from other members of the groups. During the second six, pupils can expect significant advocacy experience, including frequent court appearances in trials and interlocutory matters, alongside developing their own paper practice.

Planning and Environment

No5's Planning and Environment Group acts in planning and environmental disputes involving developers, landowners, local authorities, government bodies, parish councils and action groups.

Members appear before planning inspectors, the Planning Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, as well as other courts and tribunals in matters involving planning, compulsory purchase, environmental regulation and related issues.

Pupils gain experience assisting supervisors and other members with research and case preparation. During the second six, they begin advocacy in their own cases, supported by experienced members as they develop their practice.

What No5 Looks For

No5's current recruitment criteria focus on six principal areas:

Intellectual ability: The general academic expectation is AAB at A-level, excluding General Studies, or equivalent, together with at least a 2:1 degree. Appropriate alternative qualifications and mitigating circumstances can be considered.

Experience of law in practice: Relevant experience is assessed in the context of the candidate's age and background.

Commitment and motivation: Candidates should demonstrate a clear commitment to a career at the Bar and a genuine interest in their chosen practice area.

Interpersonal skills: Candidates should be able to establish effective professional relationships and work constructively with others.

Public speaking: Experience such as debating, mooting or other public speaking can provide evidence of advocacy potential.

Written application: Applications should be organised, persuasive and well written, with candidates answering the questions directly and demonstrating clear written reasoning.

These criteria should be treated as the current published requirements. Candidates applying for the 2028 intake should check the final vacancy for any amendments.

Academic Requirements

No5's current published criteria generally require AAB at A-level, excluding General Studies, or equivalent, together with at least a 2:1 degree.

The degree can be in law or another subject. No5 considers alternative qualifications and applications from candidates whose academic record has been affected by mitigating circumstances.

The Chambers also considers candidates who have entered the profession following alternative career paths. Its published criteria expressly take a candidate's age and background into account when considering experience of law in practice.

Advocacy and Training

Advocacy forms an important part of pupillage at No5.

Before the second six, pupils undertake an advocacy exercise before the Pupillage Committee. The exercise is intended to give pupils an opportunity to practise advocacy, receive feedback and identify areas for development before beginning their own court work.

Further advocacy exercises are provided during pupillage, allowing pupils to develop their skills before appearing before real tribunals.

The Chambers also monitors pupils through regular reviews. Supervisors provide reports and samples of work where appropriate, while the Pupillage Committee oversees progress and training requirements.

Second Six

The second six is designed to provide substantial practical experience.

Pupils begin developing their own practice and conducting advocacy while continuing to work with their supervisors. The precise nature of the work depends on the pupil's practice group.

For example, criminal pupils can expect substantial Crown Court and Magistrates' Court work, Employment pupils can conduct their own Tribunal advocacy, and Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence pupils may appear in court regularly in trials and interlocutory matters.

Pupillage Award

No5's latest published pupillage terms provide for an award of £30,000 during the first six months, with Chambers guaranteeing billings of at least £30,000 during the second six months.

No5 also funds compulsory training courses during pupillage.

These are the latest published financial terms, relating to the current recruitment cycle. No5 has not yet published confirmed remuneration for the October 2028 intake, so the financial terms should be updated when the 2028 vacancy is released.

Tenancy

No5 offers pupillages with a view to tenancy, provided pupils meet the required benchmark.

The Chambers invests significantly in its pupils and monitors their progress throughout the year. The stated approach is to support pupils in reaching their full potential rather than treating pupils as competitors for a fixed number of positions.

The 2025 intake included six new pupils across Business and Property, Family, Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence, Employment, Planning and Environment, and Public Law and Immigration.

Application Process

No5's current recruitment process consists of a written application followed by two rounds of interviews, an assessed advocacy exercise and an assessed mini-pupillage.

For the latest published cycle, first-round interviews were held in Birmingham and London. Candidates who progressed then completed a remote advocacy exercise before attending a one-day assessed mini-pupillage. Final interviews were held in Birmingham or London.

The exact assessment dates and structure for the 2028 intake have not yet been published and should be added once No5 releases its new recruitment timetable.

Application Deadline

The national Pupillage Gateway timetable for the 2028 pupillage cycle provides for applications to open on 4 January 2027 at 11:00am and close on 28 January 2027 at 11:59pm. Candidates must have completed the academic and vocational stages of Bar training before the advertised pupillage start date.

No5's own 2028 vacancy should be checked when published to confirm whether it will use the same application route, deadline and recruitment arrangements.

Application deadline: 28 January 2027