Training of Barristers:
Training for Barristers is laid down and governed by the Bar’s professional body, the Bar Council.
Students with a Law degree have to pass the Bar Vocational Course (‘BVC’) and Complete a 1 year Pupillage with a set of barristers. Students without a Law degree can do a 1-year Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and then go onto the BVC followed by Pupillage. There is a non-graduate route for mature students, under which a small number of students qualify by passing a 2-year GDL followed by Pupillage.
All student barristers must join one of the four Inns of Court before taking the BVC. Students used to have to dine there 12 times before being called to the Bar, but now they can ‘attend’ by e.g. completing a weekend residential course. The Inns provide law libraries and advocacy training, award scholarships and organise lectures and ‘moots’.
The BVC emphasises the practical skills of drafting pleadings for use in court, negotiation and advocacy. Students study core subjects e.g. litigation, evidence etc. as well as skills such as drafting pleadings and negotiation. When they have passed the BVC, students are ‘called to the Bar’ i.e. officially qualified, but cannot practice as independent barristers until they have done a pupillage.
Pupillage is ‘on the job’ training where the trainee barrister becomes a pupil to a qualified barrister while being paid a small salary. It is usually carried out at the independent Bar at a set of barristers’ chambers. This involves ‘shadowing’ a pupil master who is an experienced barrister. The pupil usually has more than one ‘pupil master’ over the year. Trainees also take part in a programme of continuing education organised by the Bar Council during Pupillage. After the first 6 months, trainees gain rights of audience and may conduct their own cases. After qualifying, barristers need to find a tenancy in a set of chambers in order to practice. They have to attend continuing education courses throughout their career to keep their knowledge up to date.