Selborne Chambers

Recent cases include James Sandham’s success on behalf of influencers Lou Teasdale and Lottie Tomlinson (yes, 1D star Louis Tomlinson’s sister!) after their talent agency was sued for £472,000 by a meditation app over an Instagram marketing dispute. Selborne Chambers was also involved in the Insolvency and Companies Court case, where it was found that the second claimant was wearing smart glasses during the proceedings: luckily, Selborne’s Sarah Walker stayed out of the drama and was successful in securing an indemnity costs order for her own clients! Rahul Varma and Rosamund Baker successfully acted in a High Court case concerning the fairness and impartiality of an arbitrator’s conduct. The case resulted in the rare success of a challenge to an arbitration award under Section 68 of the Arbitration Act 1996. Incidentally, the subject of the original dispute involved eggs!

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. Fundraising initiatives have seen the chambers host bake-offs, charity walks and 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. “They’re like an extended family. Very different from other Chambers. No internal politics,” a chirpy tenant says. “We have a wide-range of organised events which are well-attended and fun, with good guests. Informally we meet up for drinks and food”, their co-tenant says, whilst another adds “It’s a really fun set in which chambers and staff habitually socialise together. It’s not uncommon for groups within chambers to go on holiday together.” Unsurprisingly, then, 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.” One junior says “It’s a young Chambers (both in terms of members and staff) and so people are genuinely open, inclusive, and keen to help. Of particular note: the clerks are very receptive to people taking time off, and childcare commitments generally”.

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.” Indeed, “Chancery/commercial practice is intense but I feel we are at the forefront of expressly protecting our members against the inevitable pressures,” sums it up well. 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 are described by one barrister as “two buildings: No. 10, Essex Street and No. 11 Essex Street. Both are lovely to look at from the outside. In terms of interiors, No. 10 is the client facing part and is modern and impressive; No. 11 is in the ‘old, charming and quirky’ category, but is perfectly functional.” Overall, this 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. However, one notes (not necessarily with derision): “We have all the electronic resources we need, but we probably do not have as many touchscreens as some sets”!

As for pupillage, the set takes 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.

The pupillage experience

The most attractive feature of pupillage at Selborne was the prospect of a genuinely independent practising second six at a first-class commercial chancery set. I had three pupil supervisors for four months each, instead of the more typical four supervisors for three months each, smoothening the step from first to second six by having the same pupil master for the transition. My first six consisted chiefly of paperwork for my pupil supervisors on a mixture of ‘live’ and ‘dead’ work. I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to draft skeleton arguments or written submissions in preparation for forthcoming hearings which I was then invited to attend, as this made me feel much more involved in the cases I was working on. I was able to experience a wide range of Selborne’s practice areas, from (to name a few) professional negligence and probate in my first seat to property and trusts in my second seat and commercial in my third and final seat. During my first six I was also very fortunate to have shadowed a King’s Counsel and Senior Junior at two separate High Court trials; one a libel case and the other a commercial case involving serious allegations of corporate wrongdoing.

Before my second six I completed two advocacy exercises with my Head of Pupillage. These were excellent opportunities to ensure I was ready to get on my feet and plead the types of cases that would form the backbone of my second six, such as insolvency and landlord and tenant matters. My second six was marked by a mix of paperwork and Court appearances in my own right, supervised and supported by my pupil supervisors whose approachable manner and constructive feedback was always invaluable. I was also seconded for a number of weeks to a firm of solicitors that had instructed my Head of Pupillage at the pre-action stage of an unfair prejudice petition, offering an insight into everyday life in a prominent West End law firm. By the time of my tenancy decision (late July) I was doing almost entirely my own work, facilitating a near-seamless transition to practice as a tenant.

The transition from pupil to tenant

As I said above, the transition was made very smooth by the fact that second-six practice was designed to closely simulate tenancy. More broadly, the openness and friendliness of Chambers itself meant that any help I needed in relation to setting myself up was easily accessible.

What is your practice like now?

My practice is now a varied mix of property and commercial work, almost entirely in my own right. I am in Court approximately 2-3 times per week, the rest of my time consisting of paperwork such as pleadings and opinions on matters ranging from landlord and tenant claims to wasted costs applications. I was very fortunate to have been instructed, within one month of tenancy, as junior to a Selborne silk in a High Court trial before the Vice Chancellor of the County Palatine of Lancaster, Mr Justice Leech.

I have been able to strike a healthy and enjoyable balance as a junior practitioner; my hours are typically 9-6 and my clerks are very helpful in allowing me to enjoy a flexible routine. I look forward to taking bigger and more demanding cases as my career progresses.

What is the culture of chambers?

Selborne is a very welcoming and unstuffy place. There is no untoward sense of hierarchy and an atmosphere of openness that I felt when I started here as a pupil. For instance, my room now is on the same floor as my Head of Chambers, and we very often catch up over a morning coffee or chat in passing. We have a monthly Chambers lunch, which is a nice way to congregate on a regular basis, alongside junior socials and networking events. We are situated directly opposite the Edgar Wallace hostelry, to which barristers and clerks often repair when their diaries allow. Various events like the Henley Regatta and the London to Brighton bicycle ride also form a part of the social calendar. I’ve volunteered for the latter, which takes place in a little over four weeks—a decision I’m fast regretting.

The clerks are incredibly supportive and approachable. Each year we have a one-to-one practice meeting to discuss our current progress and future ambitions, and their advice is always tremendously helpful. Likewise, the Chambers administration and marketing teams are brilliant in providing opportunities to advertise oneself and form new relationships.

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

In addition to securing the best possible results at university and law school, I would encourage aspiring barristers to seize as many vocational opportunities as possible, from mini-pupillages and mooting to pro bono volunteering and mentoring schemes offered by the Inns of Court. More broadly, I would encourage applicants to read widely about the development and status of the practice areas of Selborne members, including recent reported cases in which they have been involved. You will almost certainly be asked these sorts of questions at interview, and you do not wish to give your interviewers the false impression that your application to their set is a makeweight or an afterthought!