Crown Office Chambers - True Picture

Chambers profile

Crown Office Chambers is a leading set within numerous practice areas, principally with a civil or commercial focus. There are over 100 tenants in Chambers including 27 KCs. Members of Chambers feature regularly in leading cases across all our specialisms.

Our Work

We are ranked consistently by the directories in practice areas including: commercial litigation; professional negligence; insurance and reinsurance; construction and energy; international arbitration; personal injury; clinical negligence; health & safety; inquests & public inquiries.

Our members appear regularly across the full spectrum of courts and tribunals, both in UK-based litigation and international arbitration.

Our Pupillage

Crown Office Chambers is a member of the Pupillage Gateway. Please refer to the Pupillage Gateway website for further information including the recruitment timetable.

Crown Office Chambers offers up to three pupillages a year, each with an award of £90,000 in addition to earnings from the second six, comprising £75,000 plus guaranteed earnings of £15,000 in your second Six. A drawdown of up to £20,000 from the pupillage award is available in advance. There are also generous concessions on Chambers’ expenses in the early years of tenancy.

Pupils are welcomed as an integral part of Chambers life from the moment they arrive, and expected to show the motivation, dedication and intelligence which are the hallmarks of a first-class barrister. We look for outstanding law and non-law candidates, as well as a flair for the oral and written presentation of complex legal arguments. Applicants from under-represented groups are particularly welcomed.

All pupillages are offered with a view to tenancy and we emphasise that pupils are not in competition with one another. All pupils who meet the standards for tenancy will be invited to join Chambers.

During First Six, pupils will sit with two different supervisors each for a three-month period. During Second Six, pupils will sit with a third supervisor for six months and will be receiving regular instructions in their own right throughout that period. Advocacy is a key focus of Chambers’ expertise, and therefore all pupils will obtain substantial advocacy experience during Second Six by attending County Court and other hearings up to 3-4 times per week.

There will be an opportunity to experience work in all core areas of Chambers’ practice. This is intended to facilitate a varied and interesting pupillage whilst also to provide a firm foundation for tenancy.

Assessment Criteria

We assess applicants for pupillage by reference to the following objective criteria:
• Intellectual ability / analytical skills
• Advocacy potential (oral and written skills including clarity and persuasiveness)
• Potential to be a successful barrister (including: determination, organisational skills, interpersonal skills, sound judgement)
• Interest in Chambers
• Integrity

Equal Opportunities

Crown Office Chambers is an Equal Opportunities employer and adheres to an Equality & Diversity statement, available on our Diversity Policy & Data page. We welcome applications from all groups and make reasonable adjustments for disabled candidates.

The members of Crown Office Chambers are committed to the furtherance of equality and diversity, and to the promotion of access to the legal profession including the Bar in particular. For further information on the initiatives supported by members of Chambers in this respect, please see our Social Responsibility page.

We hope that this page, along with other pages on our website, answers any questions you may have about pupillage with us. If you have any further questions, please contact the Pupillage Secretary at pupillage@crownofficechambers.com.