39 Essex Chambers - True Picture

39 Essex Chambers pupillage review 2025

The Chambers

Navigating a pupillage can be a bit like trying to win a board game: it typically involves many rounds, many questions, and a little bit of luck. But pupils who land at 39 Essex don’t have to leave anything to chance. Talking about their experience, a junior tenant confirmed that “39 Essex has great public work both claimant and defendant which is also balanced with our specialist barristers like environment, so I do think that’s why they stand out!”  When we asked Lindsay Scott, the set’s CEO and director of clerking how the practice was built up, she gives us this helpful analogy: “the set is like a Trivial Pursuit piece, built up with loads of different practices.” And if this set was picking up any wedges along the way, it would be for its work in the Court of Protection for health & welfare, community care, environment, personal injury and professional discipline, all areas which receive top billing from Chambers UK Bar. It also receives nods for work in immigration, civil liberties & human rights, and public law.

“The set is like a Trivial Pursuit piece, built up with loads of different practices.” 

The breadth of practice has benefitted the set over the years. Scott highlights their ability to adapt to the legal climate: “we are in a very lucky position with the amount of practice areas we have, that if one becomes less busy, we will have another area that will be taking off!” Recently, “our environmental and sports law practice has really taken off, in fact we have one of the largest teams of sports barristers!” Growth goes beyond practice too, as 39 Essex’s work sprawls across London, Manchester, Kuala Lumpur, and its presence in Singapore growing too: “international work is becoming more and more common due to a lot of sociopolitical factors.”

But it’s not just strength in numbers: “A great factor of 39 Essex is that you work on a lot of high-profile areas of law,” confirmed a pupil. One case mentioned was the Grenfell Tower investigation, where Kate Garage KC has taken the lead role in the inquiry on all public and construction aspects. Another well-known and long-standing inquiry is the Infected Blood Inquiry, where Eleanor Grey KC is the lead senior counsel for the Department of Health and Social care. On the environment side, Richard Harwood KC represents Greenpeace on a range of cases, one of them involving a challenge to the decision of Jacob Rees-Mogg to authorise a new offshore oil and gas licensing round and the associated Offshore Energy Strategic Environmental Assessment.

What’s on the cards for the future? Scott confirms it is to “have a good period of consolidation.”  She continues that “I am not saying that we won’t hire, but as we are already a large set, we won’t become stratospheric.”  Instead, 39 Essex’s efforts will continue to focus on home. “We want to really make sure we are looking after our people and clients to keep to our values: excellence, innovation and inclusivity,” explains Scott.

The Pupillage Experience

Every pupil at 39 Essex Chambers completes the same four seats: civil liability, commercial & construction, environment & planning and general public law. Now, the order won’t be the same for every pupil, but all will spend between eight to nine weeks in each seat. The “well organised” seat structure was praised for its variability. “The bar is becoming more and more specialised where pupils are only doing one practice area. But one of this chambers selling points is that you can experience different practices, making you a better barrister all around,” explained a pupil.

“I saw leading cases in public law, planning and environmental law. You experience a range of cutting edge law.”

In every seat, a pupil could have up to four supervisors at any one time. Sound daunting? One pupil didn’t think so: “I am aware it is unusual to have that many supervisors, but it actually put me at ease! Not only one person is looking at my work and I also don’t have to worry that the personal aspect of my seat; there was no need to worry about that my personality meshing with just one person.” Also, “more eyes mean you aren’t getting over worked.” At the beginning of the first six, pupils complete work from their supervisor, which is typically live work, but a small amount of dead work is expected. “Any dead cases brought to a pupil is because the supervisor believes it has an outcome that they might not learn from a live case” stated a junior tenant. Moving onto the second six, pupils begin to attend court one to two days a week. “The chambers give us some training sessions before we start attending, which covers things like hearing preparation, which was so helpful!” a junior recalled. What also stood out was the quality of work available to them once they got on their feet in their second six: “I saw leading cases in public law, planning and environmental law. You experience a range of cutting edge law.”

Feedback occurs formally and informally. On the latter, pupils receive feedback on pieces of work they complete throughout each seat. However, they also have to complete written assessments at every halfway and final point in every seat, which is assessed against the set’s ‘pupillage criteria’. The level of feedback was much appreciated by our sources, who felt that they were left in no doubt about how they were performing. “You get lots of feedback on everything, which is helpful as you should know where you are in the year, and if you’re on course for tenancy or not. It’s something you don’t get at all chambers,” shared a junior. When the tenancy decision looms, the pupillage committee consider the assessment markings and the informal development from training and feedback from standing in court. The committee and pupil supervisor then confirm if a pupil is offered a place.

“It has a good progressive culture for the Bar…”

Juniors believe that a lot of the pupillage structure comes down the set’s core culture. “It has a good progressive culture for the Bar. I wouldn’t say we are hyper radical, but compared to other sets in the market, we are a lot more progressive!” enthused a junior tenant. Scott adds that the set’s progressive nature was what actually drew her in: “a set needs diversity, particularly one with as many practices as we do! Its members should be friendly, and open to discussions and taking in other perspectives, which I think we do well here.” On top of this, a pupil was quick to note “I can’t not tell you about our hour’s structure, it is a big part of the chambers culture.”  Indeed, 39 Essex is serious when it comes to working hours - everyone must comply to working between 9am until 6pm. “There is definitely a focus on work life balance, as a lot of our members are parents, so having rules like the 9-6 keeps things fair for everyone to work their best,”  highlighted a pupil.

The Application Process

Before candidates think of applying to 39 Essex, Colin Thomann, the head of the pupillage committee, advises that “mini pupillage days are a great way to see the chambers” but don’t fret as “a mini pupillage isn’t a necessity for the application.” The journey then begins via the Pupillage Gateway. The set typically receives up to 500 applicants in the first stage. These applications are then sifted against a criteria (that can be found on the set’s website so do give that a look over!). The successful 60 to 80 applicants are then asked to a first-round interview. “It lasts around 30 minutes, where candidates are asked a mixture of legal and general questions,” explains Thomann, “this is where we look at both interview response and application answers.”

15 to 20 interviewees are moved forward to the second stage interview which takes place in person. Candidates come in 40 minutes before to prepare to present and answer questions on a legal analysis of a principal question before a panel of three. At this point, Thomann notes “if candidates make it to second stage, they have a pretty good chance of getting a pupillage, here or elsewhere.” The set then determines a top ten list and makes offers in order.