Pupillage

Radcliffe Chambers is a leading commercial and Chancery set based at Lincoln's Inn in London. Its barristers act in complex business, property and private wealth disputes in the UK and across a range of international and offshore jurisdictions, including Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Gibraltar and Singapore.

The Chambers' practice covers commercial, insolvency, pensions, private client, property and charity law, with related expertise in areas including banking and financial services, civil fraud and asset recovery, international disputes, professional liability, real estate, restructuring and insolvency, arbitration and mediation.

Radcliffe Chambers has received recognition from the leading legal directories and has been recognised for the quality of its Chancery practice. The Chambers also places considerable emphasis on maintaining a friendly and collaborative environment, with an open-door policy and opportunities for pupils to participate in Chambers' social and professional events.

The Pupillage

Radcliffe Chambers normally offers two or three pupillages each year, depending on the number of anticipated tenancy vacancies.

The 12-month pupillage is divided into four three-month seats. Each pupil normally works with four different supervisors, with the aim that each supervisor will bring a different area of expertise. Pupils can also shadow and undertake work for other members of Chambers, giving them exposure to a broad range of the set's commercial and Chancery practice.

The structure is designed to give pupils a broad foundation before they begin developing their own practice. During the second six, pupils are supported by their supervisor and the clerking team to take on their own cases, including written work and advocacy.

Practice Areas

Radcliffe Chambers' work spans a number of interconnected areas of commercial and Chancery practice.

Commercial and Business Disputes

Members act in complex commercial litigation, including disputes involving businesses, contractual arrangements and commercial relationships. The work can involve substantial factual and legal issues and proceedings in senior courts.

Insolvency and Restructuring

The Chambers has a substantial insolvency and restructuring practice, including disputes concerning companies, assets, creditors and office-holders.

Property and Real Estate

Property work forms an important part of the Chambers' practice. Barristers advise and litigate on complex property disputes and related commercial issues.

Private Client

The private client practice includes disputes involving trusts, estates, private wealth and related fiduciary issues.

Banking and Financial Services

Members advise and act in disputes involving banking and financial services, including complex commercial and financial arrangements.

Pensions

The Chambers also acts in pensions disputes and provides advice on complex pensions issues.

Civil Fraud and Asset Recovery

Members act in disputes involving fraud, tracing and recovery of assets, often where proceedings involve multiple jurisdictions.

Charities

Radcliffe Chambers has a specialist charities practice, including disputes and advisory work involving charitable organisations and trusts.

International and Offshore

The Chambers regularly handles disputes involving offshore and international jurisdictions. This provides pupils with exposure to matters extending beyond domestic English litigation.

Real Legal Work

Pupils are exposed to the work undertaken by practising members of Chambers rather than being restricted to simulated exercises.

During pupillage, pupils may undertake legal research, prepare written advice, draft correspondence and court documents, attend conferences and observe or assist with hearings.

Pupils are expected to attend court when their supervisors attend and to prepare by reading the papers and familiarising themselves with the issues. During their second six, pupils are likely to undertake their own work and may conduct court advocacy with the permission and supervision required for a practising pupil.

Pupils do not pay Chambers' rent or expenses during the practising second six.

Training and Supervision

Radcliffe Chambers operates a structured training programme based on the competencies in the Bar Standards Board's Professional Statement.

Training is not treated as a simple checklist. The published policy describes a continuing assessment process in which supervisors identify a pupil's strengths and areas for development and tailor support accordingly.

Each pupil receives four supervisors during the year, normally spending three months with each. Supervisors provide feedback on individual pieces of work, while formal reviews take place at the end of each three-month seat.

Pupils are also expected to work for a wider cross-section of Chambers where appropriate. This helps develop familiarity with different practice areas and different approaches to legal problems.

The training programme includes advocacy, professional ethics and negotiation skills, together with the practical skills required for drafting, legal research, conferences and client work.

Second-Six Experience

The second six provides pupils with an opportunity to begin developing their own practice.

The clerking team allocates suitable work to practising pupils, taking account of the educational value of the work and other relevant circumstances. Pupils may undertake both written work and advocacy.

There is no guaranteed minimum amount of second-six work, reflecting the Chambers' emphasis on training rather than simply maximising the amount of billable work undertaken by pupils. Pupils retain earnings received from their practising second-six cases without deductions for Chambers' contributions.

Pupillage Award

The current published pupillage award is £80,000, together with whatever earnings a pupil receives from their own cases during the practising second six.

Radcliffe Chambers limits the amount of second-six work pupils can take on so that opportunities to learn and develop are not lost through excessive workloads. The Chambers reports that the average amount ultimately received by pupils tends to be approximately £95,000 when second-six earnings are included.

Part of the pupillage award can be drawn down during the Bar Course year, subject to the Chambers' discretion.

These are the Chambers' current published financial terms. The final 2028 vacancy should be checked for any change to the award before publication as a confirmed 2028 figure.

What Radcliffe Chambers Looks For

Radcliffe Chambers looks for candidates who demonstrate the potential to become successful commercial-Chancery barristers.

The Chambers identifies five principal qualities:

Intellect: Candidates should demonstrate strong academic ability and the intellectual capacity required for demanding legal work.

Commerciality: Candidates should understand the issues affecting clients and show an ability to approach legal problems from a practical perspective.

Persuasiveness: Candidates should demonstrate the potential to become effective advocates through advocacy or public-speaking experience.

Credibility: Candidates should have the personal impact and interpersonal skills needed to develop strong relationships with clients and colleagues.

Commitment: Candidates should have convincing reasons for applying to Radcliffe Chambers and for pursuing a career at the commercial-Chancery Bar.

The Chambers does not require applicants to fit a particular profile. Relevant evidence can come from academic work, employment, extracurricular activities and wider life experience.

Application Assessment

The published Pupillage Policy sets out a detailed assessment framework.

At the application stage, candidates are assessed on:

• Academic record.

• Quality of written expression.

• Responsibility and maturity.

• Advocacy or public-speaking experience and achievement.

• Interest in the Chancery Bar and the work of Radcliffe Chambers.

• Care and attention in preparing the application.

The application assessment has a maximum score of 40.

The Chambers also uses Rare Recruitment's contextualised recruitment system as part of its pupillage application process.

First-Round Interview

Candidates selected for interview attend a first-round interview lasting up to 15 minutes.

The first interview assesses:

• Oral communication skills.

• The ability to analyse and assimilate information.

• Professional attributes such as flexibility, commerciality and good judgment.

The published assessment framework gives the first-round interview a maximum score of 20.

Assessed Mini-Pupillage and Second Interview

Candidates who progress beyond the first interview are normally invited to an assessed one-day mini-pupillage at Chambers. The published policy indicates that approximately 10 to 15 candidates will normally reach this stage.

Before the assessed mini-pupillage, candidates receive instructions for preparing a written advice. The written work is submitted to Chambers and is discussed during the second-round interview.

During the mini-pupillage, candidates are also given papers for a mock conference involving a solicitor and lay client. Candidates normally receive the conference papers approximately two hours before the interview and are expected to prepare as the barrister advising the client.

The second-round interview lasts approximately 45 to 60 minutes and also considers professional ethics and the commercial realities of practising as a barrister.

The second-round assessment considers written presentation, analysis, oral communication, legal analytical skills, client and solicitor engagement and commercial practicality. The maximum score for this stage is 50, giving an overall maximum recruitment score of 110 when combined with the application and first-round interview scores.

Tenancy

Pupillage is offered with a view to potential tenancy, but tenancy is not guaranteed.

Radcliffe Chambers considers pupils on their individual merits when deciding whether to recruit them as tenants. The final decision is made by Chambers as a whole following consideration of feedback from supervisors, clerks and, where appropriate, clients.

The Chambers aims to complete the tenancy decision by the end of July and will provide assistance to pupils who are not retained, including help with identifying an appropriate referee where relevant.

Working Environment

Radcliffe Chambers describes itself as a friendly and welcoming set with an open-door policy.

The published pupillage policy provides for a minimum expectation of 40 hours of education and training each week. Pupils are generally expected to spend at least three days each week in Chambers, although court hearings, conferences and flexible working arrangements can affect this.

The Chambers also encourages pupils to participate in relevant social, marketing and professional events as part of their development.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Radcliffe Chambers encourages applications from candidates from all backgrounds and specifically supports applications from groups that are under-represented at the Bar.

The Chambers has policies addressing equality, diversity and harassment and is willing to make reasonable adjustments for candidates with disabilities during the recruitment process.

Candidates who are unable to fund travel to recruitment stages themselves may request reasonable travel expenses, although payment is at the Chambers' discretion.

Mini-Pupillage

Radcliffe Chambers also offers non-assessed mini-pupillages, generally lasting two or three days.

Preference is given to applicants who are at least in the second or third year of a university law degree or who are undertaking the GDL. Applicants are expected to demonstrate an interest in Chancery law and a desire to practise at the Chancery Bar.

The separate non-assessed mini-pupillage programme should be distinguished from the assessed mini-pupillage forming part of the pupillage recruitment process.

Application Deadline

Applications for the October 2028 pupillage should be made through the Pupillage Gateway.

The national timetable provides for applications to open on 4 January 2027 at 11:00am and close on 28 January 2027 at 11:59pm. Offers for this cycle are scheduled to be made on 7 May 2027 at 9:30am. No applications or amendments can be submitted after the closing deadline.

Radcliffe Chambers confirms that it accepts pupillage applications through the Bar Council's Pupillage Gateway.

Candidates should check the final 2028 Gateway advertisement for the confirmed number of pupillages and financial terms before applying.