Rachel Bale, founder of Her Bar and recently appointed commercial and chancery tenant at 3PB Barristers gives you a personal insight into her Pupillage experience, providing tips and guidance to navigate the ‘year-round interview’. Do you agree with her?

Some invaluable advice by Serena Varatharajah, Pupil Barrister at 1 High Pavement Barristers, who took 3 years to get pupillage. Having studied law at the University of Leicester and undertaken her Bar Exams at the University of Law, Serena gained significant experience of the legal profession through working as a paralegal at the HMRC and as a paralegal with responsibility for GDPR within a large commercial operation. Read her tips and guidance to help prepare you for the Pupillage Hunt 2022.

Stefania Patuto, Immigration Barrister at Richmond Chambers discusses what life at the employed bar really entails, the benefits she receives and how her journey began. A true insight into the often overlooked area of the Employed Bar and how this can benefit women barristers more specifically.

September 2020 My co-pupil and I started pupillage with our Chambers going virtual. It is fair to say, this was rather unexpected, but then again so was the existence of a co-pupil. We did not know of each other until invited to Chambers before officially starting our journey at the Bar. Fortunately for us, we actually like each other. Well…to date. Our pupillage was designed to focus on Chambers’ main practice areas. We were actively involved in shaping our practical education with our supervisors. Whilst focusing on crime, we were allowed to expand our interests. I focused on family law, extradition, and certain aspects of civil law, enabling me to build a strong common law practice.

Her Bar is the simple concept that most barristers can’t believe doesn’t already exist. ‍It’s a bespoke comprehensive platform designed to follow and support the trajectory of a woman barrister’s career. We provide curated content, advice and resources in order to help support genuine issues women barristers continue to face including topics such as financial difficulties, work allocation, preparing for career breaks, harassment, menopause at work, and applying for silk. However, most importantly, Her Bar creates a community of women, who share the same profession and same issues and a space for them to ask and receive support and guidance.