Devereux - True Picture

Devereux pupillage review 2026

The Chambers

Standing out as a barristers’ chambers may seem simple enough on the surface: in a world of one-stop shops, you can brand yourself as having a single specialism, or perhaps two is better than one? Well, at Devereux, three is the magic number. “We lead with our three core areas, which are employment, tax, and personal injury,” explains director of clerking Glenn Billenness, though he does note that it wasn’t always this way: “Our employment and personal injury teams have always been thriving, but we’ve really grown our tax section over the last decade.”

It's a claim that’s backed up by the Chambers UK Bar guide too, with nods in each of the set’s three core areas, as well as shout-outs in the likes of clinical negligence and telecommunications. Suffice to say, business is booming for Billenness and co., whose national footprint brings instructions from the likes of a variety of tier 1 solicitors. “I think those clients come to us because they like the way we work, and they like the service they get not only from members of chambers, but from the clerks and staff at Devereux as well,” Billenness divulged, “when we get an instruction, we see ourselves as one legal team.”

“Across all our practice areas, we pride ourselves on being advocates and being persuasive; we all have that in common.”

Speaking of that ‘one legal team’ ethos, according to Billenness, the set “prides itself on having that family feel. It might be cliché, but we’re a close-knit set and it’s not just about being bright and excellent in our field.” This collaborative effort shone through to the juniors of the set, with one former pupil summing up the “friendly, down-to-earth, and unpretentious” feel of chambers. Member of the pupillage committee John Platts-Mills went further by describing the shared values of everyone at Devereux: “Across all our practice areas, we pride ourselves on being persuasive advocates, in writing and on our feet; we all have that in common.”

Some recent case work for the set includes a personal injury case in which Devereux acted for a claimant who suffered a spinal cord injury during a road accident. The matter was settled on the basis of partial recovery and involved complex issues surrounding life expectancy and future care needs. On the employment side of things, Devereux has seen a lot of work come through in the wake of industrial action undertaken by the NHS junior doctors. The set represented employers during the strikes, as well as advising on Section 145B claims relating to pay. Finally, on the tax side, the set recently represented HMRC against Lloyd’s Banking Group in a multibillion-pound tax appeal over the issue of cross-border group relief of losses.

The Pupillage Experience

Although most sets in our guide have a standard first and second six structure to their pupillages, Devereux takes advantage of its three specialist areas to split the pupillage into four three-month blocks. What this translates to is three months in each of tax, employment and personal injury, with a final three months spent as a floater seat. “It gives you the opportunity to effectively plug any gaps that you feel you have or go back to something you really enjoyed in your previous seats,” reflected one junior. Platts-Mills also highlights the added benefit of doing a stint in each group, adding that “as a practitioner and wherever you decide to specialise down the track, you will be better placed to do so having had a grounding in other areas of law, which we can offer.”

“An effort is made to ensure that each week you have is used most productively and beneficially from the perspective of the of the pupil’s learning…”

What prospective pupils can expect to get up to in their day-to-day will largely come down to the workload of their supervisors, so “if your supervisor has a particularly court-heavy three months when you are with them, you'll be seeing a lot of court work. Equally, if your supervisor has a court-light period, but with a lot of paperwork, you'll be by and large assisting with that.”

Pupils at the set reported a wide range of tasks designed to develop their skills, with examples including producing first drafts of skeleton arguments, brands of appeal, statements of case, advice work, and of course if the opportunity arises, pupils get on their feet in court during the second half of the year. “An effort is made to ensure that each week you have is used most productively and beneficially from the perspective of the of the pupil’s learning. I was already working on some interesting and diverse areas of law two weeks in, so I was thrilled about that.” When in Deve-Rome, we suppose!

Hours were said to be respectable and largely in keeping with a standard 8.30am – 6.30pm. “It was always made clear to me that I wasn’t a junior, so there was no expectation that I’d work like that,” one former pupil told us, “even if my supervisor was burning the midnight oil, there was no expectation that I would be doing the same.”

Pupillage was described as “heavily assessed” but not in a derogatory way: “Its benefit is its transparency, because at every point, you know exactly how you’re doing,” mused one former pupil, “you’re never going to be in a position where there’s a nasty surprise in the summer.” Throughout the year, pupils will be exposed to five written and two oral assessments which will all factor into the final decision-making process when it comes to tenancy.

“As a chambers we take into account performance in formal assessments, written and oral, and reviews provided by a pupil’s three supervisors on completion of each seat. The process is designed to ensure objective evaluation. Feedback is provided throughout the year to afford opportunity for improvement – evidence of which scores highly. We don’t believe in surprises when it comes to the tenancy decision,” Platts-Mills reveals, “At the end of each seat, their supervisor will put together a report, and at the end of the year both the reports and the assessments provide a basis for assessing someone's progress over a year.”

As for the assessments themselves, the oral tasks usually last around 20-25 minutes, with 24 hours of preparation, and consist of “a fairly small self-contained piece” that will be put to a panel of former and current members of chambers. For the written assessments, prep time is longer, with about a week to focus on an extended task that is usually a piece of advice connected to one of Devereux’s core practices. We heard that pupils are “given one day in the week off from working for their supervisor to dedicate themselves to the task.” That’s not the only allowance the set gives its pupils, with chambers’ newest pupil affirming that “these assessments don’t start until a couple of months down the line, to give people time to settle in and find their feet.”

Platts-Mills confirms this grace period, stating “we do not expect perfection from the outset. A large part of success at the Bar comes with experience. By the time you're halfway through your second seat, you should have a clear understanding of your trajectory and have the opportunity to get back on track if needed.”

Feedback was described as “instant and obvious” with a “fantastic easy flow of information.” Whether it be interaction comments on a piece of work, or informal chats about a pupil’s latest efforts, newbies at the set were keen to highlight that your supervisor will give feedback on everything they come across. The set’s current pupil beamed that “the feedback is excellent as you get all sorts of learning opportunities from the wisdom of your supervisor in real time.”

Platts-Mills points out that although supervisors may have different styles, the extensive feedback comes from a shared desire for wanting the best for the pupil: “Ultimately, supervising pupils is voluntary for members. It brings us pleasure to see you develop through pupillage. We enjoy the process. We want to see you succeed!”

The Application Process

Described as somewhat of an “endurance test” by the set’s current pupil, the Pupillage Gateway is the first step on the road to Devereux. From there, chambers does two paper sifts that narrow down the competition on the basis of factors like qualifications. A current pupil recommended that “you need to make sure that your applications are tailored and relevant and show that you've thought carefully about each chambers you’re applying to.”

After that, around 40 applicants are invited to a first-stage interview that takes place across two days, with a focus on CV-related questions. Platts-Mills explains that at that stage they’re looking for three specific qualities: “comfort, confidence, and capability.” To elaborate further, “a big part of it is your academics and your written advocacy, and at the first round, can you evidence the potential to translate that into compelling oral advocacy in what is unavoidably a high stakes situation?” A current pupil saw the strength of this approach, praising that “Devereux’s process was excellent. I thought they asked the right questions to get a proper sense of the measure of the applicants without it being overbearing or disproportionate in terms of effort.”

“Have the confidence that you are good enough. Have the confidence you are going to find a place that fits you and approach interviews on that basis.”

Twelve candidates are then invited to a final-stage interview, which will take place in front of five members of chambers and is broken down into two halves. The first is a legal problem which applicants are given on the day to solve. The second are interviews which Platts-Mills describes as centring on “a legal problem question, followed by competency and suitability-style questions.” That being said, Platts-Mills is also eager to explain that the final round is as much an interview for them as it is for the applicant; “if you are getting to that stage, we think you're great and we want to impress you. We think you're really capable. You've just got to find the right place that fits where you're going to be happy.”

Juniors agreed that everyone at chambers was striving to ensure the set was a good fit for both parties. A final piece of advice from Platts-Mills speaks to candidates’ self-assurance and belief as he explains: “Have the confidence that you are good enough. Have the confidence you are going to find a place that fits you and approach interviews on that basis.”

Before that final interview, Devereux holds a reception drinks and snacks evening where members of chambers attend for a night of mingling. “You get a sense of how they are as a group of people in the flesh,” revelled a current pupil, “I thought it was lovely and confirmed all my suspicions about the excellent nature of the people here.” That social atmosphere doesn’t stop once you join chambers either, with juniors reporting regular ad hoc lunches and drinks, as well as formalised events such as a Christmas party.