The Legal Cheek View
If inquiries and police work interest you, 5 Essex Chambers is the place to go! A public and civil set with a stellar reputation, it is one of the leaders when it comes to defence of the forces, inquests and public inquiries, as well as investigations, employment, professional discipline, and public and administrative work, among others. Acting for the police and for government means a lot of human rights cases come its way, and you can expect to find members appearing everywhere from broadcast public inquiries and disciplinary panels to coroners’ courts and the Supreme Court. As one tenant told Legal Cheek: “The main reason I applied to join 5 Essex was because of the work available, and it has certainly lived up to the hype!”
5 Essex Chambers is made up of nearly 60 tenants, including seven KCs, who take on a range of high-profile and often highly sensitive work. Members are instructed by almost every police force in England and Wales, as well as Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, which means there is often plenty of travelling around the country. Cases might involve defending the police in claims for false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, use of facial recognition technology, misfeasance in public office, data protection, or alleged breaches of the Human Rights Act. One tenant tells us: “We are lucky enough to get a lot of fascinating cases which involve balancing different public law rights.” Another junior adds: “I’m involved in some incredibly exciting police law cases, involving characters such as an alleged Neo Nazi, terrorists, Organised Crime Group members and bent cops. It’s all very Line of Duty!”
There is the opportunity “to argue novel points of law”, and every case “has its own challenges and rewards”. But what’s so fantastic, according to members at 5 Essex, is that their work “mixes the academic with the very human. A case may be considering a technical point of law, but the context is always about the relationship between the state and the individual.” One junior describes their “first rate work” as being “in the media” and engaging “complex issues of fact, law”, adding that the “outcomes really make a difference” to boot.
It’s not just police work, however. You probably know the Post Office Horizon scandal by its ITV dramatisation, if not the public inquiry. Jason Beer KC practically became a celebrity for his witty examination as counsel during the inquiry, but Samantha Leek KC, Catriona Hodge and Aaron Moss all played leading roles too. You can find tenants defending teachers in regulatory proceedings, working on huge inquests (from a billionaire’s helicopter crash to cocaine toxicity), representing NHS Trusts in defending claims for discrimination, and even acting as lead counsel to the Mayor of London in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. What ties the work of members together is that it often attracts media attention. As one member puts it, the set’s work is “of high public interest, involving novel and cutting-edge issues affecting large sections of the public and issues of great controversy”. “I cannot believe how lucky I am to do the work we do in chambers,” one junior tells us, with another stating that they “can’t imagine a more interesting range of work”.
And these are just the cases we’re allowed to hear about. National security issues come up a lot in tenants’ work. As one rookie explains, if cases “aren’t in the news, it’s because they are incredibly sensitive, with cases such as the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry and Afghanistan Inquiry raising difficult issues of national security.” One would be forgiven for thinking these things only make the work more exciting, and the insiders certainly seem to think so. “Every case I work on could be a novel, film or TV series. Many of my cases are tragic, but all are fascinating, challenging and engaging,” says one. Drama runs high in this work. As another junior puts it: “Much of my work is more thrilling than a John Le Carré novel. The hours sitting at my desk fly by because the work we do in chambers is so interesting and exciting. Some days I cannot believe I am being paid for what I do because it is such fun.” Who wouldn’t want that?
“Complex, varied, challenging and consistently manages to hit a sweet spot which combines novel legal argument on matters of high principle with the gritty reality of human life.” We can’t think of a more accurate description of what members of the set are getting up to. Infected Blood Inquiry? 5 Essex are there. Covid-19 Inquiry? Check. Thirlwall Inquiry, Plymouth Shootings Inquest, Yassar Yaqub Inquest? Yes again. Guildford Pub Bombings, Fishmongers’ Hall Inquests, Undercover Policing Inquiry, Reading Terror Attacks Inquests, Malkinson Inquiry, Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Brook House Inquiry, Omagh Bombing Inquiry? All yeses. For those familiar with their tort syllabus, the cases of Michael v Chief Constable of South Wales Police and Robinson v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police might also ring a bell. That’s right, both 5 Essex again.
The cutting-edge issues keep coming, too. Bobby Talalay appeared for the Metropolitan Police in a significant challenge to the lawfulness of its live facial recognition policy, while Fiona Barton KC and Robert Talalay acted in a High Court judicial review concerning police guidance on strip searches of transgender detainees. Six members of chambers also appeared in XGY v Chief Constable of Sussex Police & CPS, a major Court of Appeal case on advocates’ immunity, police file preparation and Articles 2 and 3 ECHR. Meanwhile, Alex Ustych acted in the first Court of Appeal authority on whether supposedly complex data protection claims really need to be in the High Court, or whether the County Court will do just fine.
Where do pupils and baby juniors fit into all this exciting work? Well, we are told they get to dive into interesting cases from the get-go. They are not sitting around doing document review; instead, their “bread and butter” is serious cases involving stalkers, paedophiles and drug dealers. A former pupil told us that in their pupillage year they “collected two High Court challenges in two days, which indicates the high-level work undertaken”. Meanwhile, a baby junior tells us that in their first year of tenancy they worked on four major public inquiries. They also appeared solo in the High Court and frequently in the Crown Court. There’s certainly plenty to keep you on your toes!
If that all sounds like a lot to dive right into, worry not. “There is a healthy mix of formal and informal training at every level,” we’re told, with juniors raving about the “exceptional” training and quality of pupil supervisors. “Advice and guidance provided by my pupil supervisors during pupillage has been invaluable,” one rookie tells us, with another commenting on the lecture series run within chambers to introduce pupils to 5 Essex’s main practice areas. One rookie said the training is good enough that, after coming from a commercial set for a third six at 5 Essex, they were able to rapidly pick up “a totally new area of law”. “There is a well-developed training programme for pupils, which everyone is welcome to come along to for a refresher should they wish to,” which sounds helpful for those needing a top-up, especially the “frequent lunchtime talks, covering topics such as how to make best use of AI.” Indeed, training doesn’t end with pupillage, as one junior describes: “[My] pupil supervisors continue to monitor my progress and assist me despite becoming a tenant almost two years ago.”
“Lots of sets say they are friendly, but at 5 Essex it is actually true.” That’s the verdict of one very jolly junior when asked about the set’s collegiality. Other answers included “they are the best”, “my colleagues are, quite simply, the best”, and “I can’t imagine doing this job without the level of support provided in chambers.” There is an open-door policy throughout chambers, as well as a WhatsApp group among pupils and juniors (in which both legal questions and memes are exchanged), ensuring “there is always someone who can provide advice and support”. The group chat is also apparently “an endless source of amusement”. Plaudits extend to the head of chambers, silks and senior clerk, all of whom are on hand and “very approachable”. “You’ve not seen real open doors and collegiality until you’ve seen 5 Essex,” another junior tells us. What more could you want?
The supportiveness of colleagues extends to all areas. We hear there is great support for parental and adoption leave, as well as a “wonderful” clerking team that barristers can’t seem to praise enough. Chambers also continues to highlight its support for those taking parental or carer leave, with Emma Price co-authoring Baby at the Bar, a guide to navigating life at the bar after becoming a parent. Inevitably, work/life balance can be a challenge, as it will be at any good set. One tenant confides that striking the balance is “an endless struggle”, partly, as another notes, because the work is so top-drawer. Even so, the clerks are there to support, and will “often flag that I need a holiday before I realise it myself”. “There are some people who prefer to work 9am to 5pm, others who take long holidays, and others who work every hour of the day. Chambers supports all of those.” One tenant notes: “The large amount of women in chambers means that childcare and family arrangements are spoken about and accounted for much more than in other chambers”, with the maternity policy praised for being “brilliant”, including a “rent holiday”! Senior clerk Mark Waller gets several special shoutouts for being “superb” in terms of helping tenants strike the right balance, with his team described as “excellent” and “amazing”.
Collegiality might not be a strong enough word to describe the support here, at least according to one insider: “I love my colleagues. They are a huge source of support, way more supportive than my husband and family! There is no feeling of competition across chambers; instead there is a feeling that we celebrate everyone else’s success and consider others’ success is chambers’ success.” Senior members of chambers are also said to be supportive in this regard, with one junior confiding that there is “no pressure” to work excessive hours. Another tells us they generally take a holiday every couple of months to recharge, with a third noting that the clerking team are “excellent about encouraging breaks and never push to take on more than I can/should.” Not necessarily what you might have expected from a set at the top of its field!
In terms of the social side of chambers, we hear it is common for members to grab lunch together, with “a very active junior end” also meeting regularly for drinks. Bigger events are organised, and members at 5 Essex Chambers “love any excuse for a party”, with one rookie even boasting of a social event every fortnight! Also on the roster are Monday night yoga, birthday parties, a juniors’ curry night, Royal Ascot, welcome drinks for pupils and, of course, “trusty pub trips”. Some juniors even go on holiday together!
Clearly fond of a good thesaurus, the set’s juniors variously describe their “seriously fancy” premises as “swanky”, “incredible”, “gorgeous”, “stunning”, (deep breath), “classically beautiful”, “unbelievably swish”, “fantastic”, “really impressive”, and “state of the art”. Having spent almost 70 years at Middle Temple, 5 Essex now resides at Gray’s Inn with all of the facilities that a top modern chambers could want. There are “beautiful conference rooms, a state-of-the-art clerks room”, a “top notch reception and waiting area”, and, to top it all off, air conditioning. We even hear that there are “fancy coffee machines” in every conference room. The layout of the members’ area has also received a great deal of praise, with juniors enjoying the “even more friendly and collegiate” feel.
With the new facilities comes a boost to the IT and tech support, including “AI/tech lunches”, with artificial intelligence hot on chambers’ agenda. Receiving special praise are the office manager and senior clerk, along with the dedicated IT team and “support at the end of the phone whenever we need it”. Offering another indication of just how friendly the 5 Essex bunch are, one junior tells us that whilst the IT team are on hand, “the go-to for most of us” is just “sticking your head into someone else’s room and asking”. Although one junior suggests the setup “is not quite finished yet”, members are unanimous that the set is “moving well in the right direction”. Also causing a buzz are the specialist cybersecurity consultants brought in, and the IT committee, “which is very active”, leaving no stone unturned in the pursuit of technological perfection.
For those sold on 5 Essex Chambers, applications should be made through the Pupillage Gateway. The set takes on up to two pupils a year and offers an award of £80,000. In marking the application, the Pupillage Committee will consider academic record, legal and non-legal experience, mini-pupillages, clarity and quality of presentation, and any other special or interesting features. The 30 to 35 highest-scoring applicants will be invited to a first-round interview, where they will be asked to analyse and discuss a number of legal and ethical issues. The top 10 to 15 applicants will then be invited to a second-round interview, where they will be assessed according to legal knowledge, presentation, communication and interpersonal skills, and motivation.
Those prospective pupils who are successful will typically have three pupil supervisors over the course of the year. They will spend their first six months predominantly shadowing and completing paperwork for their supervisor. In the second six, they will take on paperwork for other members of chambers and also begin to build their own practice. This will consist of both advisory work and, increasingly, being instructed to appear in court, usually two to three times a week. The training throughout pupillage is said to be “excellent”, and the in-house advocacy programme delivered by Master Alastair Hodge is particularly praised. There is also funding available for external courses, and with more senior members of chambers passing on their knowledge, “the training never stops”.
5 Essex Chambers is keen to emphasise that it particularly encourages applications from black and minority ethnic candidates, and from those with non-traditional backgrounds. The set works in partnership with Middle Temple and Inner Temple to offer mini-pupillages, and also participates in 10,000 Black Interns and the Bar Placement Scheme. This year, 5 Essex Chambers also runs “Inside Five”: online open evenings designed to give aspiring barristers an insight into the pupillage process and life at a top-tier chambers.