Francis Taylor Building - True Picture

Francis Taylor Building pupillage review 2026

The Chambers

The ability to point out a landmark you’ve had a hand in must be a pretty good feeling. For the barristers at Francis Taylor Building, it’s the day-to-day reality: “We’re a specialist planning and environmental set focused within that broad area related to the use of land and property, licences and permissions,” senior clerk Paul Coveney begins.

A swift glance at Chambers UK Bar shows the set is awarded the very best for its environment and licensing practices in London, as well as rating and valuation and ecclesiastical law across all circuits. That’s alongside strong planning and agriculture and rural affairs nods in the Capital too. As such, the set’s client list is made up of the likes of private and public sector organisations, from developers to builders, the Governmental Legal Department and local governments, even individuals and environmental charities such as Client Earth.

According to Coveney, “around 60% of the work is planning law related: strategic advice, planning appeal inquiries, judicial review and cases in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. Mainly in the UK but also some other UK jurisdictions,” particularly the Caribbean, the Jersey Islands and Hong Kong.

In one recent case, Michael Humphries KC advised London Luton Airport Limited on its planning application for an expansion to accommodate 32 million passengers a year while considering the environmental impacts of air noise, air quality, climate change and surface access. Instructed by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Morag Ellis KC has advised on the applications made by the Chinese Government for the former Royal Mint building opposite the Tower of London to become an embassy.

“Environmental law is a growing area. I’m not quite sure anyone knows what it means yet, and it’s exciting to go into something where everyone is exploring the boundaries of it.”

The other portion of the work relates to environmental law, covering the likes of climate change and pollution litigation, Coveney highlights. In one recent example, Charles Streeten KC acted on behalf of the Secretary of State for Environment in a case brought by Friends of the Earth, alleging that the Climate Change Adaptation Program is unlawful for failing to comply with the Climate Change Act. As one pupil told us: “Environmental law is a growing area. I’m not quite sure anyone knows what it means yet, and it’s exciting to go into something where everyone is exploring the boundaries of it. It all feels quite fresh and new.”

“Since the credit crunch in 2009, we have seen all of our areas grow – but a big growth area has been in environmental litigation, residential planning (with the massive need for new houses and infrastructure), and then, off the back of that, compulsory purchase work,” Coveney points out, “and this will continue for the foreseeable with the government’s growth agenda.”

The Pupillage Experience

Pupillage at Francis Taylor Building consists of three four-month seats, each with a different supervisor, with the aim of exposing pupils to the spread of chambers’ specialisms. Throughout the first seat there is a bespoke training programme, and “by the end, pupils will have attended about fourteen practice area specific seminars,” pupillage committee member Hereward Phillpot KC explains. “For example, I tend to give a seminar on major construction projects. It gives pupils at least a broad understanding of the different areas of specialism, many of which they wouldn’t have had exposure to beforehand.”

“As you’d expect the first seat is more shadowing, going along to conferences and listening in court. But, as you go, I certainly felt my involvement increase over the year.”

Pupils work alongside their supervisors on live cases: “As you’d expect the first seat is spent going along to conferences and listening in court. But, as you go, I certainly felt my involvement increase over the year,” a pupil shared. From the second seat onwards, pupils can also assist other members as well.

Typical sources of work included working across planning inquiries, local plan making, ratings, high court judicial and statutory reviews for public and planning law. As a rule of thumb, pupils produce discrete research notes and draft advice, skeleton arguments, pleadings and defences, and submissions. If a case approaches a hearing, they also roll up their sleeves with evidence preparation and witness handling for cross-examinations.

In the practising second six, pupils take on work in their own right: “A lot of the work that we do is in the Magistrate’s Court – it’s a really great introduction to advocacy as you learn how to run your own case and deal with unexpected things that crop up, and things always do!” one junior highlighted, “but when you become a junior you do less of that work over time.”

The first day in court, we heard, “is always a surreal feeling! Having the training wheels come off is scary, but you are prepared – you end up walking out of court like ‘oh that was my first hearing’ and the momentum builds from there,” a pupil recalled. Typically in court twice a week, pupils receive instructions from the Metropolitan Police to apply for civil injunctions and for business licence applications for the likes of night clubs.

At the end of their first seat, pupils complete their first unassessed mock high court hearing. Between month four and twelve, they complete the formal assessments, another mock high court hearing and two mock planning inquiries. The mock high court hearings rotate between pupils assuming the side of the claimant and defendant. Whereas “the mock planning inquiries are arranged with external consultancies who bring in their own juniors to act as witnesses,” a pupil shared, “we organise meetings with our witnesses and discuss the evidence and how they would like to present it. It’s a collaborative experience; I found it very rewarding as it feels very real like how a barrister might approach a case.” Phillpot tells us, “The pupils will get oral and written feedback, and that will be taken into account for the final tenancy recommendation by the tenancy committee.”

At the end of each seat, pupil’s receive a formal feedback report: “Pupillage is a very steep learning curve, we realise that when our pupils start with us they will know very little about our area of law (even if they have researched in advance) and they will have very little sense of the practical realities of life at the Bar,” Phillpot reflects, and so “we make allowances for that, it is one of the reasons pupils don’t do work for other members in the first four months, to give them an opportunity to get up to speed and learn from their mistakes to provide a more gentle introduction.”

When pupils do complete work for other members, they provide an additional feedback report. These and any feedback from clients form part of the evidence considered. Then the pupillage and tenancy committee make a formal recommendation around July, before the executive committee makes the final decision.

“Our official hours are 9am – 6pm and I can’t think of many instances where I have had to stay well beyond. It’s been very reasonable,” a pupil shared. “Because the Planning Bar is a small world, we all know each other and help each other as well,” one told us. This is bolstered by monthly drinks, the annual summer and Christmas party, the summer lunch hosted by the head of chambers, and celebrations when the set welcomes new pupils and tenants, those taking silk or going to the bench!

The Application Process

After prospective pupils have applied via the Pupillage Gateway, the first stage is a paper sift which considers academic achievement and intellectual ability, advocacy experience and achievement, interest in the work and chambers, and non-legal interests and life experience, all with differing levels of maximum points assigned. A panel of three led by the deputy chair of the pupillage and tenancy committee will score the applicants, with a calibration process at the beginning. From there between 20 – 30 will be invited to the first-round interview.

At the first-round interview, two new members form the panel. They will conduct an interview about 30 minutes long based on a short public law problem which is provided to candidates shortly before. From there around twelve candidates progress to the second round. In between, “we host an informal drinks reception for those invited to the second-round interview,” Phillpot highlights, “No one who is involved or will be involved in the selection process from chambers is allowed to attend the event. It is purely informal; it is to give candidates an opportunity to get to know us better and ask members questions away from the pressure of interview.”

At the hour-long second-roundinterview, there is a new panel of three, including a junior, more senior junior and the chair of the pupillage and tenancy committee, to get a range of perspectives. Finalists receive a public law problem shortly before. “This year we had a problem which essentially set up opportunities to advise a client about judicial review and whether to bring a claim. There are tactical points to get a sense whether they are able to take their academic knowledge and apply it in a practical way,” Phillpot emphasises. This is followed by some general questions as well. From there, two offers of pupillage are made.

“Demonstrate that you understand and are engaged in that area, maybe by joining a particular bar association or doing pro bono work.”

As one pupil put it: “It is important to show an interest in chambers, to give the selection committee a feel for you, what you can bring and where your interests lie.” a pupil shared. In a similar vein, Coveney advises “really do your research on the particular practice of the set you are thinking of applying to. Demonstrate that you understand and are engaged in that area, maybe by joining a particular bar association or doing pro bono work.”

And finally, Phillpot advises: “Don’t be intimidated, particularly when you come to interview for pupillage. Whether it’s the questions we are asking at interview, the training we are providing or feedback we are giving through pupillage, it’s all intended to help you perform as well as you can. If you took that one piece of advice to heart, it's probably the most useful thing to remember at interview.”