Serle Court is a set of barristers’ chambers offering expertise across a range of both chancery and commercial disciplines. Chambers covers the whole range of ‘business’ law, from offshore litigation about the world’s largest companies to domestic advice on probate matters, for both private and professional clients at home and abroad. Chambers is applauded for handling "matters of the greatest worth and complexity."
Serle Court is one of the largest commercial chancery sets, with 78 members, including 28 silks: Head of Chambers is Elizabeth Jones KC, and she and all of Serle Court's barristers and staff are committed to providing exceptional service.
Mini-Pupillage
Mini-pupillage at Serle Court is designed to be an enjoyable and useful experience. Mini-pupils experience various aspects of life as a practising barrister and gain first-hand experience of our informal and friendly atmosphere. Mini-pupillages are not formally assessed, and are not a requirement for an application for pupillage, though prospective pupils are of course welcome to apply. The application process consists of a single written application.
Chambers will reimburse the reasonable travel costs of mini-pupils and will also consider covering accommodation costs for those who would need to travel more than 2 hours each way and could not otherwise afford to come to London.
Application window
Serle Court offers mini-pupillages in two rounds (in autumn and spring) each year to individuals who have completed the first year of a law degree or at least one term of the GDL or equivalent, and are applying for pupillage in the upcoming pupillage window.
For those who are intending to apply in the 2024 pupillage cycle for a pupillage starting in October 2025, please submit your application no later than 30 September 2023, i.e. in the autumn round. Mini-pupillages for successful applicants will then take place in the autumn round during late 2023 and early 2024, before the Pupillage Gateway closes for applications.
If you are intending to apply for pupillage starting later than October 2025, please submit your application in the spring round, no later than 31 March 2024. Mini-pupillages will then be offered to successful applicants in that round in the spring and summer of 2024.
Please see Serle Court's website for the application form.
Pupillage
Serle Court looks for highly motivated individuals with outstanding analytical ability, a practical approach, sound judgment, an ability to develop good client relationships and the potential to become an excellent advocate. Serle Court looks to recruit up to three pupils each year from Pupillage Gateway applications.
Application Process
All Pupillage applications are anonymised, reviewed separately by at least 2 members of chambers, and assessed in accordance with Chamber's selection criteria. The extra questions set by Chambers to be answered on the Gateway application form are marked in accordance with the marking scheme available here. In the past, this process has led to about 30 candidates being invited to a first interview of about 35 minutes conducted by panels of 3 members of Chambers. This year, to assist with improving diverse outcomes through our recruitment process, Chamber's is also trialling a short online situational judgment multiple choice test, created by business psychology consultants who are assisting us with optimising the diversity of our recruitment. All applicants will be invited to sit this test, and there will be further first round interviews available for candidates who do particularly well on the test who did not make it through the manual sift.
From those candidates interviewed in the first round, around ten will be invited to a second interview. The second interview is also conducted by a panel of three members of chambers. These interviews will centre upon a mock client conference. Candidates will be given 40 minutes to consider a short problem question and prepare to deliver advice in a conference to members of chambers playing the role of clients/solicitors. The mock client conference itself will last around 30 minutes.
Please note that neither interview is intended to assess candidates’ legal knowledge, and the questions are designed to be capable of being answered just as well by someone with one term of legal education as by someone who has completed a whole law degree.
Pupillage Award
The pupillage award for those commencing pupillage in 2023 will be £75,000, £25,000 of which may be drawn down in the Bar Training Course year. New tenants pay no rent in their first year of practice and no chambers expenses until their earnings exceed £50,000 per annum. They also have the benefit of an income guarantee of £120,000 over the first two years of practice to assist with cash flow.
Diversity and Inclusion
Serle Court is a member of the Pegasus Access and Support Scheme (PASS), which aims to improve access to the Bar and to support high achieving students from under-represented backgrounds. Chambers has an ongoing relationship with Harris Westminster Academy, a selective sixth form which takes pupils from across London, giving priority to those who have been in care, are in receipt of pupil premium or receive free school meals. Chambers has, for many years, run a mock trial summer school in an east London school supporting the organisation Lauriston Lights which works with pupils from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. Serle Court sponsors the Queen Mary College Bar Society. Queen Mary (University of London). Serle Court is also involved in the 10,000 Black Interns scheme, a programme aimed at transforming the horizons of young Black talent with paid internships across over 25 sectors.
Accessibility
Chambers is fully wheelchair accessible with no call ahead required for wheelchair users. Chambers is also a disability confident employer.
Chambers will reimburse the reasonable travel costs of mini-pupils and will also consider covering accommodation costs for those who would need to travel more than 2 hours each way and could not otherwise afford to come to London.