Legal Cheek Careers sits down with Devereux Chambers’ Alexander Fernandes to discuss his move from accountancy to the bar, and his advice for aspiring barristers
As the Pupillage Gateway gears up to reopen for applications on 5 January, Legal Cheek Careers sits down with Alexander Fernandes of Devereux Chambers to discuss his journey to the bar, gain insights into his practice, and uncover his top tips for navigating the application process.
Could you tell us a little about your route to the bar and why you wanted to become a barrister?
Operating at the bar gives you a chance to work on one stimulating problem after another. How you perform against those challenges is, largely, down to you. I spent fifteen-odd years in big organisations (initially as a chartered accountant) where progression increasingly meant management and delivering through others. I wanted to be in a role where my success would be directly linked to my problem-solving ability.
Why did you choose Devereux Chambers, and what is your current practice like? What sparked your interest in that area?
I had a chance encounter with Stephen Killalea KC at a Middle Temple advocacy course. He demonstrated a devastating cross-examination, effortlessly, or so it appeared. He was also incredibly down to earth and personable. That sparked my initial interest in Devereux.
When I investigated Devereux further the pupillage opportunity was compelling. It’s a multi-specialist set (across Personal Injury, Employment and Tax) and the established tenants are always in great cases. So, as a pupil, you have the opportunity to explore these distinct practice areas and find out where your skills fit. You do so with brilliant supervisors, constantly being exposed to members that are leaders in their areas of practice and knowing that there will be great work available in whatever area(s) you pursue as a tenant. In my view, that is Devereux’s unique selling point. For applicants that think they know they want to practice in a particular area it is easy to undervalue this. But it is a free hit. Many of our members are now thriving in practice areas they would not have predicted at the outset of pupillage.
My current practice involves a lot of employment work. I enjoy the witness handling aspect. Also, that cases tend to be “fact heavy”, by which I mean they generally turn on disputed facts that have lots of context that you piece together from the documentary record. As someone who spent years being managed as an employee and managing others, it’s also an area where I think my own life experience gives me a head start.
I am also doing a fair amount of consumer finance work. That stems from Devereux’s involvement in the motor-finance commissions litigation. During pupillage I was privileged to work with Rob Weir KC, Jonathan Butters, and Tom Westwell on the appeals they argued in the Supreme Court. I’ve since been helping the county courts to apply that judgment up and down the country.
A lot of Devereux’s personal injury work relates to high-value and/or catastrophic injury. Those instructions obviously demand experience that I don’t have yet. So, I am building that up in the usual way, by working on less serious road traffic accidents and slip and trips. I recently had a surreal experience bouncing ideas for a ‘fell down a step’ case off a few of the bar’s leading personal injury barristers!
How would you advise applicants go about selecting which sets to apply to? What factors should they consider?
Go beyond chambers’ websites. Find any way you can to get a real insight into the people and the work. Mini pupillages are not the only way to do that. Attend talks that members are giving to their professional associations or at the Inns. It requires an investment of time and effort. However, that should pay off in enabling you to convincingly tailor your application.
How many applications would you advise making in the upcoming cycle? Is there such a thing as too many?
That’s an individual judgment call. Quality in the applications you do make is paramount. If you can invest the time to maintain the quality, then the more the better. After all, the baseline numerical odds are what they are.
What advice would you give about the written application stage, in particular the specific questions asked by sets?
Treat your answers as written submissions and try to say something interesting. Make sure that if you have invested in getting to know the set, that comes through in your answers.
What kind of experience are chambers looking for, and can this be demonstrated by non-legal employment or volunteering?
Chambers needs a basis to believe that you are going to be a successful tenant. That can absolutely be demonstrated through non-legal employment or volunteering. However, the onus is on the applicant to articulate why their particular experience supports that case.
What are the best things to do to prepare for an interview?
Invest as much time as you can into preparation. Take any mock interview opportunities available to you. Prepare answers to common questions (“tell us about a case you found interesting / disagreed with”; “what law would you change / introduce”) and make them relevant to the set you are interviewing at.
What is one piece of careers advice you think every law student should hear?
Focus on whatever you find interesting!
Please give us your final top tip…
Be as hard on yourself as your personal resilience allows. Obtaining pupillage is really tough for almost everyone. If you are going to put yourself through the process, do not end up with regrets about how you approached the things you could control. Thereafter, remember that there is a lot of luck involved.
Meet barristers from Devereux Chambers at Legal Cheek’s Virtual Pupillage Fair on Thursday 11 December. Apply now.
About Legal Cheek Careers posts.
