The Immigration Team are currently welcoming applications from practitioners with an established or developing portable practice.

We welcome applications from those with a mixed practice as well as those specialising solely in immigration.

Our highly regarded Immigration Team is ranked in Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners. The Team is exceptionally busy and members are involved in some of the most important cases in this area.

The Crime and Prison Law Team are currently welcoming applications from practitioners at all levels looking to join a collaborative and highly regarded team.

We welcome applications from those with a mixed practice as well as those specialising solely in crime.

Our members are regularly instructed in the most serious matters with specialist expertise in representing individuals charged with crimes arising out of protests.

Our team offers a supportive and flexible working environment, with opportunities for practitioners looking to develop a modern criminal defence practice alongside complementary areas of work, including paperwork and advisory instructions.

The Family Team welcome applications from practitioners with a developing practice up to five years’ call and established practitioners from five to ten years’ call. We are also always happy to hear from more senior candidates who can complement our range of expertise as well as approaches from groups of colleagues seeking a positive change.

We welcome applications from those with a mixed practice as well as those specialising solely in family law.

Members practise in all aspects of family law, including public and private children’s cases, matrimonial finance, trusts and modern relationships, domestic abuse and cases with an international element. Individual members also work in complementary fields including immigration, crime, housing and community care and the Court of Protection. We also actively encourage direct access and mediation work.

The Housing and Community Care Team are particularly interested in hearing from senior or junior practitioners with an established housing practice.

We welcome applications from those with a mixed practice as well as those specialising solely in housing and community care.

Our growing Housing and Community Care Team is instructed across the breadth of housing, property and social welfare work.

The Inquest Team is particularly interested in hearing from practitioners with an established practice in inquests and inquiries and/or claims against the police or public authorities.

We welcome applications from those with a mixed practice as well as those specialising solely in inquest and inquiries.

We offer 12-month pupillages funded by way of a grant in the first six of £25,863 (paid by way of monthly instalments) and guaranteed earnings of £25,863 in the second six (by way of minimum monthly guaranteed earnings). In addition, pupillage related travel expenses incurred within London will be covered by a travelcard provided by chambers during the first six and during the second six by way of payment on production of proof of travel. Chambers shall also provide an allowance for out-of-London travel during the first six when appropriate. Pupils shall also retain earnings received in the second six.

Pupils have the opportunity to complete periods of training across one or more specialist areas within Chambers: family, housing and community care, crime and immigration. There are also opportunities to gain experience in other areas including community care law, prison law and inquests/inquiries. Chambers will endeavour to fulfil prospective pupils’ request to train in any of the given specialist areas set out above but cannot guarantee that training will be provided in the requested areas.

We are committed to legally aided work and to ensuring access to justice. We seek to promote diversity and equality in all aspects of our work. Chambers undertakes work at all levels, and members practise in the following specialist groups: family, crime and civil. Many members are also direct access qualified and Chambers actively promotes this avenue of work.

Family practitioners provide a multidisciplinary and socially responsible approach to family legal services in all areas of national and international law. Members specialise in public law and private law Children Act applications, as well as ancillary relief and cohabitee disputes. The family team has a large mediation group and is committed to developing a holistic ADR service for all client groups.

The crime group consists of an experienced team of barristers practising exclusively in criminal defence work. Members of the group provide representation to defendants charged with the whole range of criminal offences at every stage of criminal proceedings.

The civil group includes practitioners specialising mainly in housing and immigration. Housing work concentrates on problems faced by tenants and the homeless. Our large immigration team is committed to both asylum and non-asylum work with a particular emphasis on representing vulnerable clients in the face of increasingly restrictive legislation.

Judicial review is an important area of work within chambers, particularly in respect of housing, education and immigration work.

Chambers works closely with law centres and other agencies who are addressing unmet legal needs. Some members are prominent in legal pressure groups and voluntary organisations, seeking to reform and improve the provision of legal services and access to justice. Chambers also operates a strong prison law team.

Pupillage Selection Criteria

1. Marking Applications 

Applicants are awarded marks in each of the four criteria:

Written Communication and Presentation

Academic Achievement

Experience (Applicants are marked on the basis of both their legal and non-legal experience, where skills developed or used would have application to practice at the bar. For example, this includes: developing legal knowledge; client-focused skills; public speaking or other forms of advocacy; knowledge and experience in related areas.)

Commitment to Human Rights and Access to Justice (Applicants are marked on the extent to which they can evidence, by specific examples, their commitment to human rights and access to justice.)

All applications are marked in accordance with our criteria by at least two members of Chambers.

Information for Pupillage Applicants and Application Marking Criteria

2. Interviews

We usually hold two rounds of interviews. The final arrangements for the upcoming round of interviews in spring 2026 will be confirmed nearer the time, and will be notified in due course to candidates who are invited to interview.

The interview process usually includes an advocacy exercise, and a short presentation on a subject chosen by candidates from a list of topical questions relevant to Chambers’ practice areas (both of these are prepared in advance), as well as a range of unseen questions.

Answers to all the questions and exercises are marked on the basis of the following criteria: advocacy, legal knowledge, and commitment to human rights and access to justice. These criteria are weighted differently depending on the question.

All interviews are conducted by a panel of members of Chambers and are observed by an equality, diversity and inclusion monitor.

We are pleased to confirm that we are now offering 15 mini-pupillages for 2026. Taking place between May to September 2026.

We aim through this scheme to increase the number of state-school-educated and other socio-economically excluded prospective pupils who undertake mini-pupillages and go on to consider applying to Chambers for full pupillages.

We encourage anyone who is interested in completing a mini-pupillage with us and meets the following criteria to apply. Applications are particularly encouraged from those traditionally underrepresented at the Bar, including women or those from racially minoritised communities.

The deadline for applications is 31 January 2026.

How to apply:

Send an email to [email protected] with the subject as “Mini-Pupillage Application”.

Attach a letter to Chambers containing at most 250 words, (the word count applies to the entire body of the letter and not only the body of the letter), explaining why you would like to undertake a mini-pupillage at One Pump Court Chambers, with reference to our Chambers’ ethos statement.

Complete our equality monitoring form if you are happy to do so. (Please note, this is optional and will have no impact on the outcome of your application.)

Complete the mini-pupilage declaration.

What happens on a mini-pupillage:

Chambers’ mini-pupillage programme provides mini pupils with an insight into life at the Bar. Mini pupils will travel to court with counsel, observe hearings and trials, sit in on conferences and negotiations, and (if appropriate) read and analyse case papers. Mini-pupils may also be asked to undertake legal research relevant to cases that they are observing at the discretion of the supervising barrister.

Each mini pupillage lasts for a week from Monday to Friday. However, successful applicants can request for a shorter duration up to a minimum of 2 days. Such a request should be made to the Pupillage Officer as soon as is reasonably possible.

Each day of the mini-pupillage will start at 9am and finish at 6pm unless the mini-pupil is informed otherwise. The Chambers Administrator / Senior Clerk will liaise with the clerking team every evening to identify appropriate hearings, conferences, or members for mini pupils to shadow within Chambers and will so far as is possible accommodate any preferences in particular as to areas of law put forward by the mini-pupil to the Pupillage Officer.

Mini pupillages are unassessed. Their purpose is to obtain a greater understanding of what a career at the Bar entails. The offer or rejection of an application for mini-pupillage is not relevant to any subsequent application for pupillage.

Expenses:

Chambers will pay mini-pupils’ reasonable travel and lunch expenses. Any such request should be made to the Chambers Administrator who will facilitate payment of those expenses.

Chambers may also in its discretion exceptionally assist mini-pupils with expenses for professional clothing to be worn during the mini-pupillage. Any request for assistance with professional clothing shall be made and considered by the Pupillage Officer and must be made at the latest 21 days before the start of the mini-pupillage.