7BR

The work undertaken by members is described as both “intellectually stimulating and socially valuable”, and is truly “cutting edge”, both in the UK and internationally. We also hear there is a “good balance of court work and paperwork” across the practice areas. Silks at the set have worked on some fascinating cases, including Adrian Langdale KC successfully prosecuting a priest, who at the time was national education coordinator for the Catholic Church, for historic abuse, and Vanessa Marshall KC appearing into the Airedale Independent Inquiry, which looked into the deaths of patients due to administration of morphine by nurses on nightshifts. As one insider explains, “there is a very strong human element to our work. Work in chambers is very satisfying because it often feels like you are making a genuine difference to the life of your clients”.

Recent high-profile cases worked on by members include, Richard Baker KC and Sarah Edwards securing a substantial award of damages in a catastrophic brain injury trial as well as winning permission to leapfrog to the Supreme Court, Kiril Waite securing a finding of fundamental dishonesty in a case in which the claimant staged a road traffic accident (in fact inviting the motorist to strike him!), and Kat Shields acting for the prosecution in the trial of a fugitive international drug smuggler.

No wonder one member comments, “I can truly say I have never been bored”, while a newcomer to the set tells us they were “immediately doing more exciting and challenging cases than many of my peers”.

Despite the wide array of practice areas in which members specialise, 7BR remains “one big family”, with several insiders telling us they specifically chose the set due to its friendly and collegiate nature. Commenting on the support of colleagues, one member says, “I have been supported extremely well in different ways: I’ve been encouraged to aim high; have received support of both barristers and my clerks when dealing with sudden, unexpected personal crises (a medical emergency and a sudden bereavement)”. Thanks to a well-observed open-door policy, silks will spend time helping those less experienced, and members are always sharing knowledge via various WhatsApp groups. As one junior barrister at the set puts it: “I am fortunate to be in a Chambers where there is such a wealth of knowledge, experience and encouragement and where there is such a collegiate atmosphere and network with everyone willing to give their time and skill when requested”. According to another, this truly does extend across the set, as everyone “work[s] as one together” and treats each other “equally” and with “respect and courtesy”. One junior tells us that “friends at other sets tell me it’s unusual to have [colleague support] to this degree!” The togetherness of 7BR can be shown further through the fact the “vast majority of members have been here since pupillage”.

Life at the bar necessitates hard graft, and there are times where it can seem like all work and no play. “As with all busy barristers, I spend more time at work than is ideal but I would probably be worried if this was not the case,” one tenant tells us. However, 7BR “appreciates the need to ensure there is a balance… and there is always a desire to ensure that collective morale is high”. The clerks “do not pressure you to take cases you don’t have time for, and can help ease your diary loads if it’s getting out of hand,” one insider explains, and ultimately, chambers’ culture “permits you to strike your own balance”. While there is no easy route to success, being at a set “with a broad practice base does give the opportunity to build a practice that fits with your own priorities and has the flexibility to be adapted to match with external changes and challenges”. It is said that “family life is extremely important at 7BR”, and the set encourages those desiring a career break to raise their families. This is supported by “ground breaking maternity/paternity leave structures”. One member told us they took a different kind of break to go travelling for six months which “wasn’t a problem at all”. There is also a Wellbeing Committee making “positive efforts” to ensure that people can flag if they feel their diaries are getting out of hand. We’re also told that many people bring their dogs into chambers which has to be a bonus!

The social side is also an important part of life at 7BR, with regular ad hoc drinks and dinners, as well as an evening set aside once a month for social drinks in a local pub. One tenant tells us: “I can honestly say that I have proper friends in chambers. We go to each other’s weddings and birthdays”. Another adds: “I’ve made some of the best friends of my adult life at 7BR”. On alternative Thursdays, there is a tea and cake afternoon in chambers, members can join a gardening club and there are chambers-wide and juniors-only parties arranged. Lots of members also recently took part in the London Legal Walk together. Those members living outside of London seem to be a little less involved. One tells us they “live on the south coast and travel into chambers only when required”, although they add that this is “more my choice”. Also, we do hear that the “spontaneity” of socialising has suffered slightly owing to “increased workloads and remote working”.

In terms of their home on Bedford Row, 7BR has a flashy building which has undergone a multi-million-pound refurbishment in recent years. The listed premises now has the “highest modern standards of functionality” while retaining its period character and historical features, including its Georgian foyer. If you find yourself trying to picture it, think “Doctor Who meets Selling Sunset meets Rumpole of the Bailey”. To the outside world it has the “grandeur of a Georgian townhouse” while inside it is a “labyrinth” of modern facilities, comments one happy tenant. Features include an “impressive” reception, hot desks, multiple “state of the art” conference rooms, a large library, a seminar room, showers, and a bicycle store. Rooms are shared with an open-plan feel, while retaining sufficient privacy. “Not many barristers own a completely refurbished and bespoke building in the middle of legal London — we do,” one proud member tells us. The set takes pride in its disability access provisions, including lifts with braille buttons, audible announcements and a platform stair lift. We are told the set is also “fitted out with state of the art IT communication facilities” and “IT specialists to support your every need”, from “dealing with bugs in your home computing” to “overcoming an emergency crash of your laptop at court”. One junior gushes that the set has “enough computer capacity and tech to even challenge NASA”. The IT service is outsourced but one junior informs us that “technical support is always made available when I have a problem”.

Those obtaining pupillage at the set can expect a pupillage award of £60,000. They will receive three supervisors, each for four-month stints, rotating between civil and crime, as well as some family work. “Getting a thorough grounding in civil and criminal areas teaches you early what works before different tribunals and gives you a head start when a criminal case requires some tricky drafting or a civil case requires some jury advocacy,” says an insider. A large amount of chambers’ work is outside of London, especially in the Midlands, and so pupils will be expected to travel. Pupils regularly attend conferences and court hearings throughout their first six, while supervisors will set research tasks and written exercises. In the second six, pupils will be on their feet and likely find themselves conducting plea and trial preparation hearings or appeals against convictions and sentences. On the civil side, they will deal with small claims or fast-track trials, interim applications, and assessment of damages hearings. Pupils go through a programme of assessed and unassessed oral and written exercises, as well as regular appraisals, feedback sessions, and independent pupillage monitor meetings. All in all, we hear that “pupillage at 7BR is a terrific combination of rigour and fun!” For those successful in obtaining tenancy, we hear that training “continues long past pupillage” with more senior members putting on formal training sessions on particular areas of law for juniors. There is also a mentoring scheme in place.

Those looking to apply to pupillage should make their application through Pupillage Gateway. In addition to the application, applicants will be sent a legal set question to complete. The 50 or so scoring highest based on their written application and set question will be invited to a first-round interview. This interview will take place in front of two members of chambers and last around 20 minutes. The set question submitted will be discussed, as well as general questions based on your application form. A maximum of 12 candidates will then be invited to a final round interview, which will take place in front of a panel of 6-8 members of chambers of different levels of seniority. Candidates will be asked to arrive 20 minutes before the interview and will be given a topical issue and asked to prepare to present one side of the issue to the panel. This exercise is designed to test how you think on your feet.

7BR are looking for candidates “who have the potential to be exceptional advocates” and their assessment criteria reflects this. They express that they are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from under-represented groups at the Bar. Its ‘#WeAre7BR’ tagline states its commitment to “promoting a progressive, welcoming, inclusive environment for members, employees and pupils”. Indeed, the set is home to Mass Ndow-Njie, the founder of Bridging the Bar — a charity committed to increasing the equality of access of opportunities in the legal profession across underrepresented groups — and to Dr Gregory Burke, the founder of the UK’s largest disability-access information site, AccessAble. It is worth noting that the set is the only one to have sesame steps – their front steps turn into a ramp. The set is also involved in both the Inner Temple and Middle Temple’s access to the bar schemes, offering work experience to those underrepresented at the bar, and is a sponsor of the First 100 Years Project, a celebratory campaign to mark the year when women could first practise law.

I studied the law conversion and the Barrister Training Course and became involved in mooting and pro-bono activities. As a Vocalise mentor I taught debating skills to young offenders in prisons, I was a researcher for Bail for Immigration Detainees and an advocate for the Free Representation Unit working on social security benefit appeals and at Community Empowerment Network supporting young people to stay in mainstream education. I studied full time and also worked as a barmaid and a Carer during the law conversion and Barrister Training Course respectively. These experiences furthered by time management skills, stamina and resilience which would come in handy during pupillage!

I didn’t achieve pupillage the first time I applied. In between the first and second time applying I worked as a Criminal Paralegal and as a Mental Health Advocate. In the latter role, I supported patients who were sectioned in psychiatric facilities to articulate their wishes about their healthcare to medical professionals.

Although my journey to pupillage was not straightforward, I would not change any of it. Having varied professional and life experience has provided me with a broader understanding of the world, equipped me with the skills to communicate with lay and professional clients, and support others through difficult times. These skills are transferable and have proved useful as a barrister.

The pupillage experience

I was motivated to complete pupillage at 7BR because it is a superb multi-disciplinary Chambers. This was important to me because I wanted the opportunity to learn from leaders across various practice areas and obtain broad practical experience so that I could make an informed decision before specialising. Pupillage at 7BR delivered on this. The pupillage is split into a four month civil seat, four month criminal seat and pupils are able to select which area they would like to gain experience in for the final fourth month seat. I chose family and the court of protection. Throughout pupillage, I observed and had conduct of my own cases across each of these areas and more! There was also a fair bit of travel across London, the South East and the Midlands. At times this was challenging, but importantly to me, it provided a stimulating variety of work which I thoroughly enjoyed.

7BR’s advocacy training course is helpfully focussed on oral hearings and written work that we may be instructed on during pupillage. It was useful to have the opportunity to practice and receive constructive feedback on how to improve in these areas before doing the real thing! The assessments take place roughly every 6 weeks and culminate in a mock trial. At the end of each seat your supervisor will submit a report about you to the pupillage committee and a copy is shared with you. I found the pupillage process to be transparent and fair. At each stage I felt I had a good idea of where I stood regarding the prospect of achieving tenancy.

I found 7BR to be a very supportive environment during pupillage, I got on well with my co-pupils and we were not pitted against each other for tenancy. If you obtain pupillage at 7BR, we want you to succeed and Chambers has a strong track record of offering tenancy to all pupils that demonstrate they are good enough!

The transition from pupil to tenant

It is a steep learning curve but the transition was fairly smooth. Pupillage at 7BR is geared towards pupils having a running start into tenancy by allocating work which is within your competency level but challenges and enhances your oral and written advocacy skills so that you are ready for tenancy. For example, in crime instead of doing mainly bail applications and other small hearings, I had conduct of Youth Court trials involving serious violent offences and was often in the Crown Court. In family, I had conduct of child arrangements order matters but also managed hearings with complex cross jurisdictional issues relating to adoption and abduction. In civil, I worked on Stage 3 hearings but also had conduct of fast track trials. This meant that when I entered tenancy I was already familiar with the type of cases that a junior tenant is allocated.

Also, by virtue of having a mixed practice I quickly became accustomed to encountering new challenges in different areas of law and finding solutions. The unknown soon becomes familiar! This builds a resilience and ability to readily adapt which made the step up to tenancy less daunting.

The transition to tenancy is also helped by the support of the clerks who manage your diary collaboratively with you so as not to overwhelm you. There are also various junior Whatsapp groups in which someone always generously makes themselves available for a call to discuss a case and provide a second opinion.

What is your practice is like now?

In the early months of tenancy I was in court almost everyday, doing a mixture or family, crime and civil work. I particularly enjoyed having conduct of abduction cases in the High Court, Youth Court trials for serious offences such as a gang related stabbing and fast track trials. Alongside this, I was also drafting advices in clinical negligence claims, having conferences with medical experts and drafting pleadings in civil cases. Almost every day is different as a junior barrister at 7BR. I enjoy this as it keeps things exciting and enables me to develop transferable skills and become a more well-rounded advocate. For example, having conduct of criminal trials helps hone witness handling and cross examination skills, this court experience has proved useful in civil trials and final hearings in family cases. Alongside this I have also gained more experience managing cases in inquests and the court of protection.

In recent months, I have had the privilege of working on a public inquiry as a member of the Junior Counsel team. This has been a fantastic opportunity to work with, and learn from, King’s Counsels and other senior barristers from a variety of chambers. I never anticipated working on such a high profile case at this early stage in my career! 7BR and its barristers have a strong pulling power for high quality work and junior tenants benefit from this in the allocation of work.

What is the culture of chambers?

7BR is a warm and collegiate set where everyone supports each other to succeed. There are many social events in chambers and plenty of opportunities to interact with others if you wish to. For example, every month chambers organises lunch, tea and cake for those who want to informally catch up. It is also tradition for chambers to have a Christmas party. In addition to the main party, the Junior members (0 to 10 years call) have another Christmas party involving dinner and a fun activity. We invite the incoming pupils to the Junior party as an informal way of getting to know one another before they start pupillage the following year, that way when they start they will recognise a number of friendly faces!

I’m proud of our Sesame Access Steps which enable people using wheelchairs to access the building. We also have multicultural facilities such as a prayer room. A look at our website demonstrates that chambers boasts a variety of ethnicities and as a Black woman I have found 7BR to be a welcoming and inclusive professional environment.

There is an open-door policy in chambers and everyone makes themselves available to support you if you have a query. I have used the junior Whatsapp group (many times!) to ask for advice and also popped my head into a colleague’s room to ask their opinion on a case — whether that be a junior member of chambers or a King’s Counsel, everyone is very generous with their time and provide sage advice.

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

My top tip to becoming a barrister is to understand your ‘why’. By that I mean take time to reflect and understand your story and why you want to become a barrister. Being clear on your ‘why’ will keep you motivated at difficult stages of the application process and will also help you to succinctly, and enthusiastically, articulate why you want to be a barrister in interviews.

As regards to securing pupillage at 7BR, the pupillage committee are looking for prospective pupils to demonstrate a genuine desire to have a multidisciplinary practice as a junior barrister in your written application and at interview. I would also encourage you to show your personality and highlight interesting non-academic achievements which evidence you have transferable skills that will make you a good barrister and/or a good fit at 7BR. These non-academic achievements will most likely be unique to you and make you stand out!