Recruitment

We welcome applications to join our chambers and we are always interested to talk to high-calibre practitioners with a proven record at all levels of seniority in any area in which we practice.

Cross-qualified applicants are always welcomed and each submission will be treated on its own merits as situations can be so varied.

Applications for tenancy should be made by sending a CV with covering letter to Charles Row, our Head of Chambers, at the following address: Queen Square Chambers, 56 Queen Square, Bristol, BS1 4PR.

Queen Square Chambers is offering up to three 12-month general common law pupillages to commence in October 2023, with an award of £25,000.

Chambers is located in Bristol and our members are instructed in cases nationwide, with a particular focus on the Western and Wales and Chester Circuits.

During pupillage you can expect to have 3 pupil supervisors each for a four-month period. Alongside the Western Circuit advocacy training, Chambers provides its own advocacy assessments to best prepare you for second six, as well as comprehensive feedback on all written work.

Once you start your second six you can expect a busy and varied diary in all areas of Chambers work. Alongside Magistrates Court work, recent pupils have been instructed in Crown Court matters, Family proceedings, Fast Track trials and Employment Tribunals. New tenants have been able to build upon this platform of mixed work to forge successful practices, often exceeding the levels of their contemporaries in London.

Chambers only offers pupillage with a view to tenancy and is proud to have an excellent recruitment record in this regard. The tenancy decision is usually made within one month before the completion of pupillage.

Funding

The overall funding of £25,000 is broken down as follows:

i) a grant of £4,000 is available to pupils in August 2023 to assist with any upfront costs (e.g. relocation);

ii) first-six funding is £10,500, payable monthly, with travel expenses reimbursed.

iii) second six earning are guaranteed at £10,500, topped up monthly pro rata based on receipts. Recent pupils’ receipts have consistently exceeded this sum.

Chambers does not charge rent on second six earnings, nor operate any “claw back” provisions should receipts exceed guaranteed earnings. New tenants also benefit from a reduced rent structure.

The cost of all compulsory training during pupillage is met by chambers.

How to Apply

Aspiring barristers are invited to apply to chambers between Wednesday 4 January 2023 and Wednesday 8 February 2023 using the Pupillage Gateway application system https://www.pupillagegateway.com/for-applicants.html#welcome
and selecting ‘Create a candidate account’.

We offer a limited number of mini-pupillages throughout the year – an opportunity for applicants to experience all elements of life at the Bar in Bristol. Mini-pupils will have the opportunity to shadow members in chambers in court and during conferences. You will also be able to ask any questions about pupillage at Queen Square and the profession as a whole.

Applications are assessed by academic ability, demonstration of the skills required to succeed as a Barrister, and enthusiasm for potential practice in Bristol and / or at Queen Square Chambers. We are particularly interested in receiving applications from those studying in Bristol, including those who are still deciding whether to pursue a career at the Bar.

Mini-pupillages are neither assessed nor a pre-requisite to any future pupillage application.

Update: May 2022 – 

Queen Square Chambers has taken the decision to resume offering mini-pupillages. Applications will be reviewed and mini-pupillages offered during 3 periods each year, with the following deadlines.

Applications for mini-pupillages taking place between June and July 2022 should be submitted by 30 May 2022.

Applications for mini-pupillages taking place between November 2022 and February 2023 should be submitted by 1 August 2022.

Applications for mini-pupillages taking place between March and April 2023 should be submitted by 1 January 2023.

Applications should be made by way of the linked Google Form. Please also complete the Mini-Pupillage Equality and Diversity Monitoring Google Form

Queen Square Chambers is a thriving mixed common law set in Bristol, a city regularly recognised as one of the best places to live and work in the UK. We currently enjoy a surplus of instructions and are looking to recruit one or more probationary tenants (formerly known as “third-six pupils”) to join our friendly and active team.

We are particularly looking for applicants who have experience and interest in family, employment and criminal law, or who wish to develop a mixed practice encompassing one or more of these areas.

Queen Square Chambers offers:

• a reduced rent structure for probationary and new tenants, with no fixed standing / monthly fees;

• a genuinely barrister-led approach to practice development, where clerks support the development of specialisms in line with barristers’ own skills and interests;

• a collegiate, friendly, supportive and un-stuffy approach and environment.

We have also found that many new tenants, particularly in publicly funded areas, have obtained early-career earnings and opportunities significantly beyond their contemporaries in London where it can take longer to become established in an overcrowded market.

Probationary tenancies are only offered with a view to full membership of chambers and are usually for a period of c.4-6 months. We are proud to have taken on all our pupils / probationary tenants in recent years.

Applications should be by way of CV and covering letter to James Bromige, James Bromige (James.Bromige@qsc.law)
If possible, a copy of: (i) a recent work diary spanning the previous three months, (ii) any available references, and (iii) any suitably anonymised written work should also be provided.

The deadline is 26 August 2022, however applications received before this date will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

We welcome and encourage an informal discussion prior to any application, with Mike Blitz, mike.blitz@qsc.law and / or Naomi Aylwin, naomi.aylwin@qsc.law able to act as a first point of contact.

Interviews can be arranged both in-person in Bristol, or remotely if appropriate. We envisage successful applicants commencing in Autumn 2022 and can offer flexibility as to start dates.

All approaches and applications will of course be treated in the strictest confidence.