Two Harcourt Buildings – 12 Months – October 2024

About AETO and Structure of Pupillage

Description of Chambers:

Two Harcourt Buildings is one of the country’s leading specialist criminal chambers. With thirty-four barristers, including four Queen’s Counsel, we have a strong tradition of producing advocates of the highest quality and members of the judiciary. Chambers prosecutes and defends in the most serious, complex and demanding criminal cases. We offer a friendly and relaxed environment in which to complete pupillage.

Areas of work:

Members of chambers have particular expertise in the following areas:

• Murder and other homicide
• Terrorism
• Serious fraud
• Corruption
• Police operations against organised crime and drug trafficking
• Rape
• Child abuse
• Non-accidental head injuries in infants ("shaken baby syndrome")

Members of chambers prosecute and defend daily in the London Crown Courts and regularly appear before the Court of Appeal and in judicial review proceedings in the High Court. We also have a strong presence on the South Eastern and Western Circuits.

We are very well represented at all levels on the following specialist prosecution panels, established to ensure that cases are dealt with by counsel of appropriate expertise and experience:

• Crown Prosecution Service (Fraud Group panel; Serious Crime Group panel; Proceeds of Crime Group panel; Rape and Serious Sexual Offences panel) 

• Serious Fraud Office list

Members of chambers are instructed by a wide range of solicitors' firms acting for both privately funded and legally aided clients. We are also regularly instructed by local authorities and other agencies, including TFL. We also welcome instructions from private individuals via the Direct Access scheme.

In addition to the field of criminal law, members of chambers have experience in the following practice areas:

• Regulatory and Disciplinary work, including Police, Nursing and Midwifery Council and General Dental Council disciplinary tribunals;

• Courts-Martial;

• Licencing.

Who should apply:

We look for applicants who can balance intellectual excellence (we normally expect a 2:1 degree or higher unless extenuating circumstances apply) with common sense and pragmatism. We take the recruitment of pupils very seriously and every pupil is selected on the basis that they are a potential tenant- in the past nine years fourteen of our pupils were taken on and quickly developed excellent practices in chambers.

Pupillage programme:

Pupils are assigned to one pupil supervisor for each six-month period. During the first six non-practising months pupils attend court with their supervisor on a daily basis, and complete written work and research as directed. Effort is taken to ensure that the pupil has contact with, and the opportunity to work for, tenants of all levels of seniority within Chambers. During the second six months pupils conduct cases in court alone and can expect to develop their own busy practice. In-house advocacy training is provided during pupillage, along with regular written assessments by the pupillage supervisor and feedback from instructing solicitors.

Pupillage Vacancy Information

A pupil may be given an advance on their 1^st 6 award in the preceding 6 months if they need it; all travel costs outside zones 1 – 6 are promptly reimbursed; and advances will be given for travel undertaken during a pupil’s 2^nd 6 practice which will only be repaid when the expenses have been paid on the fee note.

Equality Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to a policy of equal opportunities and aim to recruit articulate and confidant candidates, regardless of their background, who can demonstrate drive and determination and who are committed to a future at the Criminal Bar. We can be flexible with start and finish dates to accommodate a pupil’s particular circumstances. Consideration will be given to which courts a pupil will be asked to attend if reasonable adjustments need to be made due to disability, caring commitments etc. If there are other matters that need to be taken into account, including observing religious holidays and periods of fasting, these will always be accommodated as far as possible – we are a friendly set that recruits all pupils on the basis that they are prospective tenants, and we endeavour to do everything possible to provide an environment in which pupils are happy and able to flourish.

Outside of full pupillage we participate in the Bar Social Mobility Scheme and the Bridging the Bar Scheme, offering mini pupillages to those from low-income backgrounds and backgrounds with little access to the legal profession. We hope that this helps to change the public perception of the Bar as an elitist profession.

We conduct an annual pupillage review, part of which involves analysing our monitoring data from that year’s Pupillage Gateway recruitment exercise, both against our own figures in previous years and also against those supplied by the Bar Council.

We enable our pupils to participate fully in all aspects of training, diarising time out when necessary and using Zoom for weekly advocacy training if required. They participate fully in the appraisal process by means of completing their Appraisal Preparation form, and they also meet formally at least twice a year with the Chambers Administrator when they have the opportunity to assess their performance and flag up any areas requiring attention, give feedback and make suggestions for improvement on the administration of their pupillage generally.

Enquiries about the accessibility of chambers prior to making an application should be emailed to Vickybeasley@2hb.co.uk.

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 to search for the relevant Pupillage Vacancy and selecting ‘Apply for this pupillage’.

Candidates will be asked to respond to the following questions from Chambers:

1. What are the key skills and characteristics you possess that you believe will make you a good advocate? (max. 1200 characters)

2. What do you think the hardest thing will be about being a criminal barrister? Please also explain how you intend to deal with the challenge identified. (max. 1200 characters)

3. If there is anything else that you would like us to know about you, please provide details. (max. 1200 characters)