The Legal Cheek View
A heavyweight in the commercial chancery field, Selborne Chambers is not one to be overlooked by those seeking a challenging, but rewarding, career. Focussing on commercial, company, insolvency, landlord and tenant, media, professional negligence, real property and trusts, probate, and estate, the set is home to 37 juniors and eight KCs. This includes new head of chambers Ian Clarke KC, who has also just been appointed as chair of the Chancery Bar Association. The chambers offers two pupillages annually, with a sizeable award of £75,000 on the table for the lucky duo of recruits.
Beyond this financial reward, pupils can expect to be given high quality training, where “colleagues are willing to assist” and help rookies develop into hardened professionals. “Selborne get you into court as soon as you are allowed and that is an invaluable learning experience,” one source told LC.
Given the calibre of work that the set gets involved with, this training is much needed. “There is very little ‘run of the mill’ work in any of the practice areas” reports one insider. “Extremely fulfilling, complex and interesting cases” adds another. This should come as no surprise when you consider that tenants are involved at all levels of civil courts and tribunals in England and Wales, alongside working on domestic and international arbitrations, and have appeared in cases spanning Bermuda, the Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Channel Islands, Gibraltar, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Isle of Man, Bangladesh, Israel and the USA. “It is varied and interesting. I am always learning new things” were the closing remarks from one happy resident.
When off the clock, tenants and pupils alike don’t leave their legal lives at the door, but rather engage in a wide range of pro bono work. Members work in connection with Advocate and CLIPS (Chancery Bar Litigant in Person Support Scheme) in addition to providing other more indirect services to charities. Recent fundraising initiatives has seen the chambers host bake-offs, charity walks and, most recently, participate in the London to Brighton bike ride for various charities.
If all of this work sounds a little on the difficult side (even with the high-quality training) worry not, the Selborne stock are always there to help. We hear that everyone at the set is “extremely friendly and happy to help, both on work and pastoral issues”, and there’s said to be “an excellent atmosphere in chambers. Colleagues will do what they can to help.”
Of particular note at the commercial and chancery bars is the fact that “the clerks are receptive to down time”. One insider tells us that “the clerks are really good”, going on to praise the chambers for managing their return to work after maternity leave. “Lots of sabbaticals taken” put another. Although “work life balance is very much left to each barrister to determine”, chambers is praised for being “supportive with whatever balance each member strikes” and for being “very respectful of boundaries and time booked off.” Such high praise and flexibility are not to be ignored, being relatively rare in this section of the bar. As one junior puts it “this needs more work across the bar generally but, overall, the attitude is good in chambers.”
Chambers’ building receives mixed reviews. One junior describes it as “modest” whilst others label it “efficient and effective”. One area that isn’t up for such debate, however, is the social life on offer at Selborne, which receives unanimous praise. “We have a very social chambers,” says one, with another noting that “there are a good number of formal occasions as well as a monthly chambers lunch”. One heartfelt insider goes as far as to consider themselves “lucky enough to call some of my colleagues my good friends”. On the social side, there’s an “excellent mixed netball league team, five a side football, cycle rides and the Edgar Wallace pub” — the “chambers ‘local’” — all of which are said to be “a great help for informal socialising”. We’re even told that some at Selborne “go on holiday together”!
Other highlights for prospective recruits include the “responsive and patient” IT and tech support, as well as the charitable endeavours already touched on. Another area of focus for the set is combatting homelessness — an issue related to their core practice areas.
As for pupillage, the set take applications through the Pupillage Gateway, before then conducting a number of interview rounds. This is typically set at two, although is subject to discretionary change by chambers. These interviews may include general questions about the applicant, as well as specific questions on a legal problem.
Once rookies begin their pupillage, they can expect to spend time with three or four pupil supervisors. Throughout the year pupils will be asked to prepare for and attend conferences and hearings with their pupil supervisors, produce written pleadings and opinions and undertake legal research, often under considerable time pressure. This isn’t all, however, with pupils expected to spend time with other members of chambers, attending matters before all levels of courts and tribunals.
Unlike many other commercial and commercial chancery sets, pupils at Selborne can also expect to make regular court appearances within their second six, being instructed in their own right. Recruits are guaranteed a minimum of £15k earnings in this time. In addition to this practical experience, chambers offer individual advocacy training in addition to that provided by the Inns of Court.