4 Stone Buildings

Recent highlights include Jonathan Crow KC and Guy Olliff-Cooper securing success for former majority stakeholders of Yukos against the Russian Federation in one of the largest arbitration awards on record, amounting to over $66 billion. Tiran Nersessian, Albert Sampson, and Josh O’Neill successfully secured £122 million in damages in a claim involving faulty PPE imported into the UK during the pandemic. Zara McGlone secured a victory for the Secretary of State for Education in an alleged claim of misfeasance in public office and negligence.

Historic headline cases include Donald Lilly KC’s involvement in ongoing litigation against Russian oligarch Ziyavudin Magomedov, who was sentenced to 19 years in prison for fraud and embezzlement; Crow KC and James Knott’s work on a landmark Supreme Court case clarifying the law on knowing receipt; and Crow KC’s representation of the London Metal Exchange in a high-profile claim concerning the cancellation and suspension of nickel trades.

From the junior perspective, one insider tells us that “the work at 4SB is a great mix of complex, high value litigation where juniors work in teams with more senior barristers, and smaller matters where juniors run the case and do the advocacy.” There is also a good combination of general contractual disputes and technical issues such as insolvency, meaning a balance of court appearances and research. Whilst it is possible to specialise in certain areas later in a career, most members retain a broad practice.

Within chambers, there is an open-door policy and always someone available to help with a complex case. One junior notes: “Members are very approachable and are always willing to talk through any tricky points of law, ethics or practice.” The “truly excellent” clerks are equally on hand: “If a problem has arisen, the clerks have always gone out of their way.”

The clerks are also supportive when it comes to work/life balance. Whilst there are inevitable peaks and troughs, “the clerks are extremely supportive in that regard and make sure that the barristers don’t burn themselves out.” Another tenant adds: “Barristers are free to decide their own hours and the amount of work they take on to fit with their personal and family life. We really do retain autonomy over our practices.” As one member sums up: “I consider myself extremely fortunate to work among such lovely people.”

For those wanting to spend more time with their colleagues, 4 Stone Buildings regularly holds a chambers tea where members can chat about work or catch up informally. A recent addition is Thursday drinks in the clerks’ room. There are a few social events each year, including summer and Christmas parties, though the social calendar is somewhat lighter than at other sets. As one tenant puts it: “It is fair to say we are not a set full of party animals.” Chambers do, however, participate in annual charitable events such as the London Legal Walk and the City of London 5K race.

4 Stone Buildings takes its social responsibilities seriously, with pro bono work playing a significant role. Joint head of chambers Sharif Shivji KC is Chair of Advocate, the Bar’s pro bono organisation, while Andrew de Mestre KC chairs the Chancery Bar Association’s pro bono committee. The set has also recently established a Green Committee to focus its environment-related CSR initiatives and participates in both the Pro Bono Patron Scheme and the CO:IN Pro Bono Scheme.

The set is housed in a historic building in Lincoln’s Inn, just outside which sits a “stunning 18th century quad.” Inside, each barrister has their own room with, as one member notes, “incredibly high ceilings.” The only downside is that rooms can be quite chilly in winter. Members are free to decorate their own rooms as they wish.

The IT system runs smoothly, with a “brilliant” team on hand when issues arise. “We have a great IT manager who is available at all times to assist us. She is a real superstar!” praised one insider. The set has also recently improved access to online legal resources and introduced a new secure cloud-based platform.

Those wishing to complete pupillage at 4 Stone Buildings must apply through the Pupillage Gateway and will be assessed on intellectual ability, as well as the competencies set out in the Bar Standards Board’s Professional Statement for Barristers, which covers working with others, professional standards, and personal values. Those scoring highest on the written application will be invited to interview. Notably, 4 Stone Buildings operates a single-round interview process, with the strongest performers receiving a pupillage offer.

Those fortunate enough to secure one of two to three pupillages on offer each year will receive a generous award of £80,000. Each pupil sits with four different supervisors, reading papers, attending conferences, drafting documents, writing opinions, and accompanying supervisors to court. There are also opportunities to complete work for other members should particular areas of interest arise. Unlike many commercial and chancery sets, the second six is not practising; the emphasis throughout remains on learning. All pupils are provided with a mentor and are encouraged to attend events such as chambers tea. One recent pupil describes it as “a comprehensive, supportive and enriching process.”

4 Stone Buildings welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and participates in a wide range of initiatives to enhance diversity at the Bar, including the COMBAR Social Mobility Mentoring Scheme, Bridging the Bar, 10,000 Black Interns, and the Bar Placement Scheme.

I started to apply for mini-pupillages in the summer before starting the GDL and had completed a range of mini-pupillages before I applied for pupillage in January. Because of my commercial background, I knew that I wanted to practise at a commercial or commercial chancery set. I also used this time to compete in as many mooting competitions as possible, including the Gray’s Inn mooting competition and the GDL mooting competition at City.

I successfully obtained pupillage in my GDL year and then completed the BVS also at City, University of London. 4 Stone Buildings allowed me to draw-down part of my pupillage award in advance so I was able to use that sum to fund the BVS year (in addition to a scholarship from City).

My co-pupil had a more conventional route to the bar and obtained pupillage during her GDL year, shortly after she graduated from university, having read English Language and Literature.

The pupillage experience

I was drawn to 4 Stone Buildings because it is a leading commercial chancery set, consistently achieving high rankings in the legal directories in its core areas of expertise, including general commercial litigation, company law, civil fraud and insolvency law. I felt these areas would play to my strengths, given my financial and commercial background. I was also impressed by the many (and varied) achievements of members of chambers, including judicial appointments, appointments to the Attorney-General’s Panel of Counsel (undertaking work for the government) and institutions such as the Charity Commission and Advocate.

A pupil at 4 Stone Buildings will usually sit with four different supervisors. The first six months is divided into two seats of three months each, while the second six is divided into seats of roughly two

months and four months, so that all supervisors can see a pupil’s work before a tenancy decision is made in July.

There is slightly more focus on the work output during the second six months, because by that point a pupil’s work should be closer to the standard of a junior tenant. That said, there are no formal assessments and pupils are assessed on how they perform over the 8-9 months prior to the tenancy decision.

My pupillage consisted largely of live work (except where there were obvious gaps in my experience that I needed to fill). This meant that my work generally mirrored that of my supervisor. If they were drafting a pleading, skeleton, or opinion, I would do the same. I discussed my supervisors’ cases with them as they developed, and carried out legal research on points of law that arose. I also attended court with them.

I gained experience of a wide variety of the work done in chambers, including company law, insolvency law, civil fraud, offshore disputes, contentious trusts work and work under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Two of my supervisors were on the Attorney General’s A Panel of Counsel, which meant that I saw complex government work with a high degree of public importance.

I received feedback on each piece of work I carried out for my supervisor, so I knew generally how well I was doing during the course of the year and where I needed to improve. This was re-assuring as pupillage is naturally an intense and stressful year. I found that my supervisors were generally trying to reduce the pressure I felt under, rather than to increase it.

The transition from pupil to tenant

Transitioning from pupil to tenant is a steep learning curve, because, as a pupil, the recipient of my advice was my supervisor (rather than a solicitor) and I was generally given generous periods of time to undertake the work. Providing advice on practice and procedure to associates and partners on my own cases, with a shorter turnaround time, felt much more challenging.

The transition was eased a little because I started some of my own work in the final month of pupillage, while still being supervised. This included hearings of winding up petitions and bankruptcy petitions. The other juniors in chambers were also very helpful in offering advice and guidance (and still are).

I was also fortunate enough to be brought onto sizeable cases with two of my supervisors quite early on which provided me with plenty of work in the first few months. I have experienced very few quiet periods since I started!

What is your practice like now?

My practice consists of a roughly equal mix of led and unled work. The led work will involve higher sums in dispute and more complex issues.

My unled work has included insolvency applications (such as administration applications, applications for validation orders and applications by a trustee in bankruptcy for the sale of land), general commercial and contractual disputes in the county courts (including a sale of goods case where it was alleged that shoes were not fit for purpose) and interim applications (including successfully defending a summary judgment application involving a personal guarantee). I have also taken on a pro bono case through Advocate involving allegations of misrepresentation.

I am in court roughly once every two weeks, but this can vary. There are times where I am in court multiple times a week, and other months where I have a clearer diary and am either working towards a bigger hearing or conducting desk-based work.

The hours that I spend in chambers are up to me. I try to be in chambers from around 8:30am to 6:15pm each day and maintain that routine, but there are obviously days where my workload will be more or less than that and I will sometimes work over the weekend, especially where I have a major hearing coming up or many of my cases have deadlines at the same time.

What is the culture of chambers?

From the moment I received my pupillage offer, I found everyone in chambers to be very supportive and friendly. Even before starting pupillage, I was invited to chambers’ summer party and was taken out for lunch (along with my co-pupil) by junior members of chambers.

4 Stone Buildings has a very collegiate atmosphere. Both senior and junior members of chambers are always happy to assist or to have a chat. There is no formal distinction between the most junior tenant and the senior silks. Although it is up to individuals whether they work from home or from chambers, members do come into chambers regularly.

While members of chambers value the autonomy that comes from being self-employed practitioners, there is a strong emphasis on supporting other members (especially junior members) to develop their practices. We have a scheme where more senior practitioners mentor new practitioners and all members of chambers have regular meetings with the clerks to discuss their practices.

The clerks are very good at supporting tenants during their early years, and helping to develop their practice in the direction they want. The clerks (and other support staff) are also fully involved in the social life of chambers.

On the social side, tea takes place three times each week and we have drinks in chambers every Thursday evening. We have summer and Christmas parties (which partners are invited to) and other events to celebrate major milestones, including retirements and silk parties.

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

When applying for pupillage, it is useful to have a basic understanding of what commercial chancery law involves. This is because prospective pupils will need to persuade the interview panel that they have an interest in and aptitude for this area of law. The best way of gaining this understanding is to undertake mini-pupillages at commercial chancery sets and to attend their open evenings. Mini-pupils will see first-hand the type of work undertaken and will have the opportunity to ask barristers about their practices and their lifestyle. It is worth maintaining a list of the work that you have seen and what you have learned or found interesting from the experience.

I would also recommend participating in as many mooting competitions as possible. There is simply no better way of learning how to structure and deliver legal arguments, while also being questioned by a judge (and having to respond on the spot). That experience is similar to what will take place at interview. These moots will also often introduce you to a new area of law and may involve writing skeleton arguments and legal research. Both are helpful as preparation for pupillage interviews.