Pupillage at 7 Bedford Row

Lauren Radford
(Pupil 2007-2008.  Tenant from October 2008).

Armed with BVC knowledge, clutching the most recent additions of the Inns of Court Manuals and holding my right index finger over the speed dial button for my closest friend who was starting pupillage only a few metres down the road, it wasn’t so much the work during pupillage that concerned me first and foremost, but the practical issues.  I need not have worried because 7BR clearly had everything under control.    From introductions to maps and from Westlaw passwords to expenses forms, everything was explained and everyone was very helpful.  Whilst this eased my immediate sense of dread I knew that there really was nothing left to do than to throw myself headfirst into what would be, without a doubt, the most hectic and stressful and yet enjoyable and empowering year of my life to date.

At 7BR we operate a mentor system.  Each pupil is assigned a member of chambers who is under five years call.  This person is on hand to answer all of the questions which as a pupil you feel sure are so stupid they will cause your pupil supervisor to question chambers’ selection process.  These questions, whether they are about the best way to get to a particular court, what court attire is required or how you should address a particular judge may seem trivial, but as we all know they are surprisingly important and can inevitably cause the most sleepless nights.  I certainly contacted my mentor a number of times throughout my first six and as a mentor now I am pleased to offer what I hope is equally invaluable assistance to someone walking the same path that I walked only a few years ago.  Looking back I know that my pupil supervisors would have been only too glad to offer the same advice and assistance but the increased support network was invaluable.

During pupillage you need to be extremely flexible and at times rather imaginative.  I found myself developing the ability to create time.  A quiet train carriage could mean two hours work on a written advice or two hours head start on preparation for my case listed the following day.  My morning routine became more clockwork than ever before, my travel arrangements were timed with military precision and I could pack my bag virtually in my sleep.  This last point was particularly useful for the days when sleep seemed like a luxury that I might not experience for some time.

I developed many rules for myself that kept me going throughout pupillage; a number of which I took with me into tenancy.  My top three were:

1) Work out which train will get you to your destination on time – then catch the earlier one; 

2) Always carry spares of everything in your bag; and

3) Check your work more times than you feel is necessary, grab a cup of tea, then check it again. 

Whilst I reveled in the challenge of a pupillage at a common law set and thoroughly enjoyed developing a mixed practice during my second six, there were of course days when it was late at night and I was still in the library researching a new area of law that I felt slightly envious of my BVC friends at single discipline sets.  There was of course also the day that I unzipped my bag in the robbing room of a Crown Court and realised with a sinking stomach that the White Book was not going to offer the same sort of warm assistance that could be expected of Archbold for my criminal hearing.  My upset turned quickly to relief as I realised that my earlier thought that my bag was heavier than usual had not been my mind playing tricks and I had in fact packed both books.  I was not sure whether Archbold could be considered a “spare” but nevertheless I rejoiced in rule number two. 

There are certainly many highs and lows throughout pupillage.  The case you win when everything is stacked against you and the case you lose which you were certain would go your way.  A well deserved compliment from a judge or solicitor one day and then a hearing in front of an extremely disgruntled member of the judiciary the next.   The piece of well-prepared cross-examination that flowed like a dream and was instrumental in the success of the case and the equally well-prepared piece of cross-examination that simply did not hit the mark.  The beauty of pupillage, however, is that you really do learn from everything. 

Some personal highlights for me included: 

1) Watching two members of chambers in a landmark case in the House of Lords and later being instructed to pick up judgment in the same case.  This was the first time I had worn my wig and gown outside the comfort of my own home and was a nerve-wracking yet exciting moment;

2) Covering a hearing for my second six pupil supervisor at the Old Bailey only a few weeks into my second six;

3) Discovering that the reason for the sniggers in the clerks’ room as I had picked up my brief one evening was that my sentence listed the following day in Nottingham was listed in front of a Recorder from chambers; and

4) Collapsing on a train back from Lincoln after I had managed the impossible - five hearings in front of three different judges and in three different courtrooms.  I had been helped enormously of course by the very accommodating court staff. 

One of the best things I found about pupillage at 7BR is that you feel like part of chambers from the outset.  You certainly feel like everyone has confidence in you to take on relatively difficult work and it is certainly the policy that there is no reason why pupils should not be covering the same work as junior tenants.  All in all I look back fondly on my time in pupillage.  However, it is probably in that fantastic way that you can remember things fondly when you know you won’t be repeating the experience any time soon!