Legal Cheek Careers speaks with Faiza Ahmed, barrister at Henderson Chambers, to discuss life at the bar and the resilience behind a successful pupillage hunt
With the Pupillage Gateway deadline fast approaching, Legal Cheek Careers catches up with Faiza Ahmed, a barrister at Henderson Chambers, to discuss life at the bar and what it takes to land a pupillage. Becoming a barrister was not something on Ahmed’s radar when she was still at school, having initially wanted to study medicine at university. “I did my A-levels in science and had not thought at that stage that I would go to the bar,” she recalls. But upon finishing school, she realised medicine was more an expectation than a passion. Drawn by an interest in debating and legal issues at school, she decided to “give a law degree a go” at Keele University. There her ambition was cemented: “Part of the reason for doing a law degree was because I wanted to be a barrister, so that was what I had decided in my mind.”
Keen to confirm that the bar was the right career, Ahmed made a conscious effort to get as much exposure to the profession as possible. She spoke with barristers and undertook several mini-pupillages to get a taste of the profession and figure out which area of law to pursue. In particular, a placement through Middle Temple’s Access to the Bar scheme offered an early glimpse into life as a barrister. “Throughout my journey, the Inns of Court have been super helpful,” she notes, pointing to scholarships, work experience and networking opportunities along the way.
As any aspiring barrister will know, the pathway to pupillage is never easy and Ahmed is no stranger to its challenges. Over the course of three consecutive application cycles, Ahmed applied to roughly “50 to 55 sets”. “It was very disheartening,” she admits. “Rejection is hard at any stage, and I would be lying if I said I just brushed it off. Keeping up the enthusiasm and tailoring each application year after year was tough!” Ahmed sought support wherever possible but ultimately, she found that her resilience had to be rooted in conviction. “To keep up resilience, you have to be sure this is what you want to do and be committed to the profession. If you aren’t committed, it’s going to be really difficult to keep going,” she reflects. Knowing she “wouldn’t enjoy other things as much as this” made it easier to keep pushing.
When asked what ultimately drew her to Henderson Chambers, Ahmed references both the set’s broad practice and of course its culture. Ahmed had applied to various civil and commercial sets, having ruled out crime, family and pure public law early on. A mini-pupillage at Henderson, conducted remotely in the wake of Covid, left a strong impression. “My mini pupillage supervisor was super helpful in answering my questions and was very friendly,” she recalls, adding that she “got the feel that the set is a friendly place to be.” The other draw was Henderson’s breadth of practice. “The chambers handles a wide range of civil and commercial matters, meaning a junior isn’t boxed into a specific specialist area at an early stage,” she tells us. This “flexibility” was precisely what Ahmed was looking for.
Now a junior tenant, Ahmed is really enjoying the variety that comes with life at the bar and she takes us through a recent day. “I got a last-minute instruction to do a hearing in the insolvency court for a winding-up petition,” she says. “Such a sudden brief meant you have to be flexible and shift stuff around.” That morning was spent on her feet in court, followed by an afternoon back at chambers updating solicitors and working with another member on an appeal. Together they were “trying to work out the different potential results and consequences to advise the client on their options.” Such a blend of courtroom advocacy and desk-based preparation is typical. In an average week Ahmed might be in court two or three times, with other days devoted to drafting, advising and collaborating with colleagues on cases.
Ahmed is quick to stress the difference between the study of law and practising it as a career. In truth, finding a subject interesting in theory doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll enjoy it day to day. For instance, Ahmed’s Master’s thesis had a “criminal law element” but it was decidedly academic, rooted in moral philosophy and jurisprudence. She was aware that being a practising criminal barrister would be a different kettle of fish. This, coupled with mooting experiences and conversations with practitioners, confirmed “I knew I didn’t want to do crime.” She also found family law “much more emotionally taxing than I wanted my job to be.” Instead, she gravitated towards civil and commercial work, drawn by how businesses operate, and the range of issues involved. “With civil and commercial practice, the variety of stuff you can do is so huge that I thought I would never be bored,” she says. These areas offer plenty of intellectual challenge and often overlap. That overlap was another reason Henderson appealed — “At Henderson, I can can dive into contract and tort while still gaining exposure to a broad mix of cases.”
Even in the early stages of her career, Ahmed has handled some standout experiences. As a pupil, she was thrown in at the deep end by a supervisor who had her run a day-long mediation for a bank — at a point when she “had only been in court once” before. It required extensive preparation and a very different approach to a trial. Mediation, Ahmed notes, “has a totally different vibe to a trial — it’s about trying to come to a resolution.” Fortunately, it had a favourable outcome: “luckily, we reached a really good agreement,” which was a great result so early on. More recently, as a junior tenant, she worked on a contract dispute over Covid lateral flow tests — an “interesting blend of contract, commercial, procurement and public law.”
What advice does Ahmed have for those now chasing pupillage? She stresses the importance of tailoring every application. “One of the key things is knowing your audience. You need to find out what they are looking for, which might be different at every set,” she advises — a reminder that generic answers won’t cut it. Strong academics and analytical skills are expected, but how you present yourself is equally crucial. Ahmed warns against overloading your application: “People are tempted to put in too much information to sound impressive, but it’s safer to break it down into simple ideas communicated clearly.” Busy barristers appreciate applications that get to the point and show evidence of ability without waffle. Finally, she emphasises being personable and resilient. Applicants should highlight pursuits beyond law to showcase character and determination. Ultimately, a pupillage application is a form of “written advocacy” for yourself — an opportunity to convince the panel that you’d be “a good person to work with” in chambers.
Faiza Ahmed will be speaking at ‘Pupillage application masterclass — with, Henderson, Keating, Landmark Chambers and ULaw’, a virtual event taking place THIS AFTERNOON (12 January 2026). Secure your place!
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