Chambers profile
Maitland is one of the leading commercial sets of chambers in the UK.
Type of work undertaken
We offer legal advice and advocacy of the highest quality both domestically and internationally. We are consistently ranked as a leading set in all our areas of expertise across the commercial litigation and arbitration, civil fraud, company and partnership, insolvency and asset recovery, offshore and trusts, and related fields (including banking and financial services, real estate, media and entertainment, IP, cryptoassets, professional negligence, tax, private client, charities and ADR). We appear across a full range of UK civil courts and tribunals including the Supreme Court and Privy Council as well as in Caribbean, Asian and other jurisdictions. We have the strength and depth to provide representation and cross-disciplinary expertise across the whole range of matters, from a junior for a relatively modest claim to a team with the ability and experience to tackle the largest, most urgent and most complex cases in ways which are comprehensive, imaginative, efficient and effective.
Pupil profile
Academically, Maitland looks for a minimum of an upper second class degree. We firmly believe that there is no single profile or so-called “Maitland type” that defines the ideal candidate. Instead, our recruitment focus in on identifying the qualities which we think are essential for success in our field of practice: intellectual excellence; strong analytical ability; a natural aptitude for written and oral advocacy; sound judgment and practical reasoning; sound interpersonal skills that enable collaboration and professionalism; and the ability to remain calm, resilient, and measured under pressure. We believe that those qualities are to be found in candidates from every background; and can be evidenced in many different ways.
Pupillage
Maitland offers up to four pupillages, all of which are funded. There is no limit to the number of tenancy offers we can make in each year; if you are of the requisite standard, you will be offered tenancy, so our pupils are not in competition with one another. During the assessment period, pupils sit with four supervisors in rotation, spending ten weeks with each. The set takes the view that it is important for pupils to see a variety of the areas of work done in chambers. Chambers believes that oral advocacy remains a core skill of the commercial barrister. The set provides in-house advocacy exercises for pupils during their pupillage. These take the form of mock hearings, prepared in advance from adapted sets of papers, with senior members of chambers acting as the tribunal. They provide detailed feedback after each exercise. These exercises are part of the assessment process and help develop essential court skills.
Mini-pupillages
A mini-pupillage at Maitland Chambers offers prospective applicants a valuable opportunity to gain first-hand insight into both the nature of the work undertaken by members of Chambers and the professional atmosphere in which that work is carried out. During the course of a visit, individuals are able to observe the day-to-day practice of barristers and experience the working environment within Chambers. Full details of how and when to apply, including application windows and requirements are set out on our website.
Funding
Chambers offers up to four 12-month pupillages, all of which are funded (£85,000 for pupils starting in September 2027). Up to £30,000 of the award may be drawn down in advance. There is also a cashflow assistance scheme available at the start of practice as a tenant.
Diversity, inclusion and wellbeing
Maitland Chambers is deeply committed to diversity and inclusion, both within our own set and across the Bar. We are proud of this commitment, and equally proud of our rigorous recruitment processes, which we believe represent best practice at the commercial Bar and are kept under regular review.
We also recognise that long-standing structural inequalities mean more must be done to ensure our Chambers—and the wider commercial Bar—truly reflect the diversity of the society we serve. We therefore warmly encourage applications from individuals from all backgrounds, regardless of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief, or age, that believe that they may have the potential to demonstrate the attributes we look for in a pupil.
Beyond recruitment, we actively support initiatives that broaden access to the profession. These include our involvement in the Sutton Trust’s Pathways to Law programme, the Social Mobility Foundation’s Bar Placement Scheme, Bridging The Bar and the Cambridge Law Faculty’s Access and Widening Participation Scheme, as well as a wide range of mentoring schemes and outreach activities.
