Recruiting Tenants from the pool of pupils

• Recruitment
• Introduction from Mukul Chawla QC
• Education
• Mini-pupillage
• The Pupillage Committee
• Selection of twelve-month pupils through OLPAS
• Obligations of pupil supervisors
• Applications for third six pupillage
• Recruiting Tenants from the pool of pupils
• What happens when you start a pupillage in Chambers
• After pupillage
• Rights and entitlements of a pupil at 9-12 Bell yard
• Duties as a pupil
• Useful telephone numbers

The recruitment of pupils through the OLPAS system is a thorough process. We select and fund three pupils in the expectation that one or more will prove to be tenancy material. Historically, we have also recruited from the pool of third six pupils. We tend to consider applications by third sixers in the spring and application by twelve-monthers in October.

Whichever category you fall into you need to understand that we are looking for outstanding candidates.

The precise criteria for selection as a tenant are set out below:

1. For the purpose of taking on junior tenants, the composition of the Tenancy Committee will include:

• the Head of Chambers
• the Queen's Counsel in charge of advocacy
• one junior over ten years call who is not a pupil supervisor
• two juniors under ten years call

A minimum quorum of seven will be formed from those listed above, at least one Queen's Counsel and at least four members of the Management Committee.

2. Pupils are informed in writing at the outset of their pupillage of the recruitment procedure and the selection criteria.

3. Save in the most exceptional circumstances all pupils will be considered for a tenancy at the conclusion of their twelve-month pupillage and can expect a final decision at that stage. Chambers reserves the right to defer an application.

4. There will be a separate written report on each applicant from the clerks' room.

5. Applicants are discouraged from seeking endorsements from solicitors.

6. Applicants are asked to put forward a short CV and no more than two pieces of paperwork. Applicants should be encouraged to take care to ensure that paperwork submitted does not involve any case in which his or her pupil supervisor is against or co-defending with another member of Chambers. Paperwork must be redacted and/or amended to respect client confidentiality.

7. A written record of the performance of each applicant in advocacy training is also put before the Tenancy Committee. Those in charge of advocacy training will maintain a file for that purpose.

8. A file of CVs, reports and paperwork is distributed to all members of the Tenancy Committee in advance of the meeting. Each file is returned to a member of the Pupillage Committee for destruction as confidential waste save one copy retained by the Pupillage Committee.

9. At the outset of the meeting the Chairperson will provide those present with a list of the qualities we are seeking in candidates.

These qualities can be summarised under the headings of:

• Ability as an advocate
• An analytical mind
• An ability to think under pressure
• A commitment to hard work
• An ability to understand and show understanding of the needs and problems of those for whom and with whom they work
• Character

10. If a candidate asks for reasons why his or her application has been unsuccessful, that information will be provided in writing.

11. Where an applicant makes a complaint that he or she has been the subject of discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, political beliefs or disability that complaint will be investigated by the Chambers' Equal Opportunities Officer and the Head of Chambers will be notified of the fact of the complaint.

12. In the event that the complaint is considered to be well founded, then:

• the Equal Opportunities Officer will report that to the Head of Chambers;
• the application will be evaluated by a differently constituted committee convened by the Head of Chambers. That committee shall offer a tenancy to the applicant if it is of the view that the applicant should properly have been offered a tenancy by the first committee.

13. Whatever the outcome of the investigation, the complainant will be advised of his or her right to make a complaint to the Bar Council.

Documentation accompanying an application for tenancy

You will receive assistance from the Pupillage Committee in putting the relevant documents into the bundle to be considered by the Tenancy Committee.

Written work

You are required to submit two pieces of work in support of your application. It is your responsibility to ensure that in doing so client confidentiality is respected. This may mean that it will be necessary to amend advices or opinions to disguise the party or parties involved. You will appreciate that skeleton arguments, case summaries and documents of that nature which are already in the public domain do not attract privilege.

As a precaution you should also ensure that the piece of work you submit does not relate to a case in which members of Chambers other than your pupil supervisor are involved.

The Kalisher Essay

Each pupil is required to submit an essay as part of the annual Kalisher Essay Competition. The essay will form part of the application bundle. A strong essay carries some weight with the Tenancy Committee.

Curriculum vitae

A single page will suffice.

Appraisals by pupil supervisor

An appraisal will be taken from each pupil supervisor at the end of each four months (twelve-monthers) or three months (third sixers).

Appraisal by clerks

The views of the Senior Clerk are submitted to the Committee in writing. She will be aware of the views of the other clerks.

Testimonials from solicitors

Do not solicit them and do not submit them with your application. Approaching solicitors can cause embarrassment.

Self-assessment forms

These will be distributed and collected at the same time as the appraisals. They form no part of the Tenancy Committee's deliberations. Rather, they are an opportunity for the Pupillage Committee to pick up problems and monitor the success or otherwise of the pupillage policy. Therefore, please be frank.