Ed note: This is the latest post in the 'If I knew then what I know now' series, where leading members of the legal profession share their wisdom with the next generation of wannabes.
One of the things I did know – courtesy of a father at the Bar – was how enjoyable a barrister’s life could be. That’s good, because you’re only here once. But there are still lots of things I wish I knew, writes Simon Myerson QC. So, in no particular order...
Last night’s speech by incoming Bar Council chair Maura McGowan QC was full of diplomatic turns of phrase. But make no mistake, it contains some strong warning messages to rookie barristers hopeful of pursuing careers in publicly-funded areas...
Ed note: This is the latest post in the 'If I knew then what I know now' series, where leading members of the legal profession share their wisdom with the next generation of wannabes.
I only learned the most significant lesson about being an advocate after years in practice, paying close attention to what worked and what did not. It is something that no one is likely to teach you when you are studying to become a lawyer. In fact, I was taught the opposite, writes Matthew Ryder QC...
What I wish I knew then, that I know now, is this: the most effective advocacy is invisible.
Some things about good advocacy are uncontroversial. For example, everyone will say that you must master your brief, work hard and try to be both fair and fearless. But some advocates are said to possess very special qualities that mark them out from the rest – you see them in films and you read about them in novels...
Picture courtesy of must-follow legal tweeter Jeremy Hopkins.
This week is Bar social mobility placement week, with 69 high-achieving students from low-performing state schools getting to spend a few days hanging out in the Inns of Court with barristers and judges.
Sadly, though, the scheme is only open to students in London schools, automatically precluding wannabe barristers from many of the poorest areas in the country.
There is no equivalent regional programme...
“If you had someone trained as a barrister, you wouldn’t have them running round making coffee all day – it’s demeaning,” Apprentice winner (and former banker) Stella English told the Daily Mail on Monday, having quit her new role because she wasn’t given enough responsibility.
Au contraire, Stella. Rookie barristers make lots of coffee – and they read the Daily Mail, too...
Like many Bar graduates, John Iteshi couldn’t get a pupillage – or even an interview for a pupillage.
Having completed the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) in 2007, Iteshi made about 150 pupillage applications but did not receive a single interview.
Pupillage Portal, the Bar's state-of-the-art interweb application system
In common with the thousands of pupillage and training contract seekers out there, he found the competition for other law-related jobs intense, too.
Since 2008, Iteshi has made over 200 applications for legal case worker and administrative roles, but only received about 5 interviews, and has not been successful in finding employment in the legal field...
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