39 Essex Chambers

Different practice areas naturally come with their own pros and cons. One tenant who has a construction and international arbitration practice tells us that it is “very busy, very pressured, but also very rewarding”. Court of Protection work, which is a big area for the set, is great because “you are able to help people”. Meanwhile, a tenant specialising in planning and environment law, for which 39 Essex also has a leading reputation, tells us that this area “has a great mixture of law and politics, and is usually about the future as opposed to past mistakes”.

Whichever practice areas they work in, tenants at 39 Essex tell us that their work is “consistently stimulating, raising interesting points of law and compelling factual scenarios”. Given the set’s reputation, 39 Essex often receives instructions in high-value, high-profile cases. As one tenant says, “I regularly work on the highest profile cases in my practice areas”, whilst another adds: “the work I do often makes the national news”. Previous cases have involved civil claims for injury and losses arising out of the Grenfell Tower fire, construction plans for a dual-carriageway road tunnel at Stonehenge, and domestic inquiries such as the Hillsborough Inquiry and Soham Inquiry. It certainly seems that there is “never a dull day” at 39 Essex!

Over the past year, tenants have continued to work on exciting cases. Six 39 members — Fiona Paterson KC, Jenni Richards KC, Fenella Morris KC, Alex Ruck Keene KC, Nicola Greany KC, and Ian Brownhill — appeared in the Supreme Court Abbasi case, a landmark appeal which turned on balancing a bereaved parent’s freedom of speech with a physician’s right to privacy. A further three 39 barristers (Vikram Sachdeva KC, Jack Anderson and Rachel Sullivan) acted in the earlier stage of the litigation. Philippe Kuhn acted for Play Network in the Supreme Court of Gibraltar over a freezing order placed on digital assets valued at 542 million “$PLAY tokens”. The Welsh Air Ambulance judicial review, about restructuring the service, was dismissed — seeing Fenella Morris KC lead Katherine Barnes. Quite the variety!

When it comes to work-life balance, one tenant at 39 Essex tells us: “by nature of being a busy set, life boundaries get pushed, but the clerks are very sympathetic and helpful when you need time off or to pull back a bit to get respite”. We are told that the set is big on wellbeing, having a mental health programme including training, a wellbeing officer, a mental health first aider, mentoring, and a buddy system. There is also a “strict 9-6 policy for pupils”, with “most members of chambers taking pride in enforcing it if they see any pupils trying to work later than that”.

More broadly, 39 Essex is said to be a “genuinely supportive and nurturing environment”. One tenant tells us: “while it might be counterintuitive for somewhere large to be extra friendly, it is. Maybe it is that when there is such a wide diversity of people, there is no one “type””. As well as being friendly, there is an open-door policy throughout the set, meaning that if someone is stuck on a piece of work, they can pop into other tenants’ rooms and ask for help. One had this to say: ”Colleagues are always super helpful with any work queries or dilemmas. The various chambers WhatsApp groups are absolute lifelines, particularly when you’re in an unexpected crisis and need answers to questions/scenarios you’ve never encountered before. Colleagues are all very generous with their time.” If tenants are working remotely they can be contacted on one of the set’s WhatsApp groups.

Tenants at 39 Essex also enjoy socialising together. We hear that there are “regular drinks on a Friday attended by everyone from the most junior juniors all the way to the silks”. One tenant does reassure us, however, that “not going to chambers drinks is no barrier to social engagement. There are multiple ways of keeping in touch. There are also monthly chambers lunches (for staff, barristers, and pupils all together) and the occasional dinner”.

In terms of location, 39 Essex’s London office is “borderline equivalent to a law firm in the quality of the building”. Following a move to a modern premises in Chancery Lane, 39 Essex’s London home provides a range of facilities including showers, kitchens, underground bike storage, and even a games room! Some members do, however, say that some of the charm of more traditional settings is lost — there are “no coal fires or views over Temple Gardens”, for example. This seems to be compensated for by the modern members’ rooms, which also come with “decent coffee and air conditioning”. As another tenant noted: ““I really wanted the old fashioned barristers’ chambers with wood panelling, but functioning lifts, proper clerking facilities and fab conference rooms have their benefits!”

The IT team are also said to be “awesome and incredibly responsive”, going out of their way to be helpful. Video conferencing capability is available in every conference room — again, tenants describe their facilities as being more akin to those found in a law firm than a chambers.

For those interested in applying for pupillage at 39 Essex Chambers, applications should be made through Pupillage Gateway. The set offers up to three pupillages per year, each with an award of £70,000. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a first-round interview which will focus on a legal problem as well as situational judgement questions. Those who impress will be invited back to a more extensive second-round interview. Beforehand, they will be sent a case, which will form part of the interview discussion. Topical and application-based questions will also be posed.

39 Essex states that it looks to recruit pupils with intellectual ability, oral and written expression ability, interpersonal skills, commitment, drive, efficiency, and interests in one or more of the set’s areas. The set encourages applications from under-represented groups at the bar and participates in schemes such as Bridging the Bar.

Those who successfully obtain pupillage can expect to spend their year sitting with four different pupil supervisors. Generally, pupils will have two supervisors who practice in public law and two who practice in private law. They will typically only complete work for these supervisors. During their first six, pupils will be drafting documents and helping prepare their supervisors’ cases. In the second six, they will begin to take on their own cases, typically small claims or interim applications in larger matters.

Current and past pupils describe pupillage at 39 Essex as “a key sell for chambers”. We are told that the focus is on training, with regular feedback being provided. As one pupil attests: “pupil supervisors are incredibly supportive and understanding that pupillage can be a stressful year. Their friendliness and time in giving feedback has been excellent. Beyond that, the juniors have been wonderful at sitting down with us to chat through our first cases and at being on call for last minute calls and evening sessions to prepare us for getting on our feet.” We hear that continual training is also provided beyond pupillage.

The pupillage experience

39 Essex has a depth of expertise in a wide range of practice areas. Pupillage reflects that in its four-seat structure: (1) commercial & construction, (2) civil liability, (3) public, and (4) planning, environmental, & property. Seats range between 10 weeks and 12 weeks, and pupils rotate between them through the year. Pupils usually have two to three supervisors per seat, with one supervisor taking the lead. This is an especially valuable aspect of 39’s training as it exposes you to a wide range of work across the practice areas.

I was drawn to 39 on account of three main things: (1) the wide range of practice areas ensuring broad training and varied early years of practice; (2) the opportunity for high-quality, high-profile work led by 39’s senior members; and (3) the practising second six which allowed me to be on my feet developing my advocacy, witness handling and case management skills.

Throughout pupillage, I was exposed to high-profile and fascinating cases across the practice areas: from the Grenfell Tower and rugby injuries civil claims to cross-border fraud claims to planning inquiries on local plans to the Rwanda litigation. Most of the cases I worked on were ongoing, live cases which gave me a real sense of the kinds of work coming into chambers.

39 is genuinely committed to a healthy work-life balance for pupils. Throughout my first six, I simply was not permitted to work past 6pm or on weekends. Supervisors were protective of my time and ensured that work demands and deadlines were reasonable, and that I had enough time not only to do assessed written work but also to have exposure to the variety of cases worked on by members in each seat.

The practising second six was a big draw for me and is an important aspect of pupillage at 39. In the first six, pupils receive valuable advocacy training from some of the best advocates in chambers, honing the various skills of cross-examination, submissions, witness handling, application advocacy and trial advocacy. Pupils also receive training on managing common ethical issues that rear their heads in the early years of practice as well as on the common types of cases pupils are instructed on. This means that when I started to take on my own cases, about two to three a week, I felt confident and prepared. Juniors bent over backwards to support with any questions. I spent hours talking through my first few cases with helpful juniors!

Each seat involves a mid-seat review and an end-seat review. Supervisors complete a written form at both points, summarising the work which has been completed and assessing pupils against the same competencies as the pupillage application process: intellectual ability, expressive ability, interpersonal skills and commitment, drive and efficiency. Pupils also undertake two written assessments and an oral advocacy assessment. Ultimately, the assessment process for tenancy is very transparent. At the end of each seat, I knew exactly what went well, what didn’t, and how to improve.

At the end of the year, a report is compiled based on all the seat reviews and the other assessments, and this goes to the pupillage committee, which makes a formal recommendation to the management board on whether tenancy should be offered. Unlike other sets, there is no chambers-wide vote on tenancy and no application for tenancy is required.

The transition from pupil to tenant

In the weeks leading up to tenancy, 39 arranges a variety of formal and informal meetings for pupils. Meetings are organised with the clerks, management, and finance so that new tenants know what to expect. Likewise, junior tenants will reach out with tips and advice on how to navigate the changing period. In my experience, I’ve relied closely on the large support network of junior tenants at chambers. New tenants are also strongly encouraged to take time off after pupillage.

39 Essex further offers interest-free financial support to new tenants during the transitional period, when income can be less predictable. I was really grateful to receive such support, which helped to alleviate any financial stresses I would otherwise have had. Nevertheless, I’ve been fortunate to have a very full diary of fascinating work throughout my first year of tenancy, across the areas of practice I’m interested in. I’ve never been short on work. If anything, the far bigger challenge has been knowing when to say no! Generally, I’m in court up to three times a week, in the County Court, the Tribunals, the Coroners’ Court, and the Court of Protection. The work has remained extremely varied, which I particularly enjoy at this stage of my career.

What is your practice like now?

My first year has been thrilling and busy. I’ve worked on a five-week trial over a contentious termination in the High Court, interesting appeals relating to the interpretation of the Refugee Convention, the long-running Police Overtime claims, several pro-bono education cases in the Tribunal, and I’ve been instructed on a six-week inquest. I’m also currently seconded to a local authority’s planning department where I advise on rights of way and commons matters.

Work-life balance is definitely a challenge in particularly busy periods, but generally I work hard during the week (finishing at 7pm most days), and I manage to protect most of my weekends. I have been involved in a broad range of led and unled work, across public, commercial and planning, and I’m building relationships with clients and more senior practitioners across these areas who now send me work directly.

I am still very much at the beginning of my career, but so far, independent practice has been brilliant! I am in court regularly across my areas of practice and I continue to build the various skills needed for life as a self-employed barrister. I also have practice management meetings with both my clerks and my mentors to manage actively the development of my practice.

What is the culture of chambers?

The culture at 39 was one of the biggest draws for me to Chambers. While we are a larger set, indeed we continue to grow, 39 has a strikingly collegiate atmosphere, supported by a very healthy social life: weekly drinks in the clerks room, a monthly chambers lunch, and parties at Christmas and in the summer. There is always someone around for a bite to eat over lunch or a drink at the end of the day. I felt hugely supported both professionally and socially during pupillage, but this has carried over into independent practice to an unexpected extent. Both senior and junior members remain willing to drop their own work to lend a hand or to be a sounding board for ideas. 39 is a wonderfully supportive and friendly environment for both pupils and tenants.

We are also fortunate to work with a leading clerking team, which goes to incredible lengths to support, market and grow the practices of juniors across all of 39’s main practice areas. Not only are they a vital source of everyday support on cases and managing the client relationship, but they are also both enthusiastic and dynamic in their business development efforts, involving junior juniors in marketing opportunities from early on. Regular practice management meetings with the different clerking teams mean I feel supported to expand my practice into areas of interest to me.

39 also benefits from being in a great, modern building in the heart of legal London in Chancery Lane. We have excellent facilities with modern amenities, including an array of conference rooms, events spaces and podcast recording studios as well as showers, lockers and bike storage. We also have a fantastic IT team on hand to assist with the considerable tech and data-security aspects of practice, the importance of which is growing. Their expertise is therefore incredibly valuable. We are also above a lovely Press Coffee and across the road from a number of great lunch spots!

Top tips for those wanting to become a barrister/secure a pupillage at your chambers

1. Thoroughly research the sets you apply to. Find out what juniors are doing to get a real sense of what the ‘bread and butter’ of practice looks like. What are the cases, what are the courts, what’s the lifestyle like, what are barristers making etc. Be brave — go to law fairs, join mentor schemes, enter essay competitions, take any chance to meet people at the bar and ask the questions that matter to you.

2. Identify what’s impressive about your application. You should assume you’re going up against dozens of people very similar in academic excellence to you. Tick all the obvious boxes (academics, legal experience, interest in law etc.), but also identify what is special about your experiences and your skills. For example, I realised people were impressed by my experience as a teacher in a challenging school. I identified the transferable skills and built a narrative. Similarly, don’t worry if you don’t have a litany of legal work experiences to point to. Real life experiences, outside of the law, should not be undervalued and can be better and clearer examples of relevant competences such as good judgment, strategy, resilience, intellect and so on.

3. Don’t agonise over conflicting advice. There isn’t just one way to do things, and you’ll need to find an approach which works for you. Absolutely take advice on board, weigh it against other advice, and act on it, but don’t agonise unduly — the process is already stressful enough! My advice is that you identify a group of mentors, friends and family whose judgment you can trust and stick with them.