Barrister Job Information | National Careers Service

Job profiles

Barrister

Hours

30-40 per week
Starting salary

£12,000 + per year

If you are interested in a career in law this could be perfect for you. Barristers give specialist legal advice to solicitors and other professional clients. They represent people and companies in court.

To be a barrister you must have a law degree. You must also complete a training course and work experience.

To become a barrister, you will need to be confident about speaking in public. You will need to be able to work with private information and keep it confidential. You will also need to work well under pressure.

The work

If you are interested in a career in law and want to specialise, this could be perfect for you.

Barristers give specialist legal advice to professional and non-professional clients, and represent individuals and organisations in court, at tribunals and at public enquiries.

As a barrister, your work could include:

taking on cases (known as briefs)
advising on the law and how strong your client's legal case is
researching points of law from previous similar cases
providing written legal opinions to advise on cases
having meetings with clients to discuss their case and offer legal advice
getting cases ready for court by reading witness statements and reports, and preparing legal arguments
representing clients in court – presenting the case to the judge and jury, cross-examining witnesses and summing up
negotiating settlements for clients.

You would specialise in one particular area of law, which would determine the amount of time you spend in court. For example, as a criminal law specialist working in private practice or for the Crown Prosecution Service, you would spend most of your time preparing for cases and presenting in court.

In other areas of law, such as civil law (family law, property and tort) or chancery law (company law, tax, wills, trusts, and estates), you would mainly do office-based advisory work.

Hours

Your working hours would often be long and include evenings and weekends, particularly at the start of your career. You may be required to travel to various courts around the country every day, particularly if you are practising criminal or family law.

In private practice, you would share offices (known as chambers) with other barristers, and divide your time between chambers and court. As an employed barrister, you would be based at your employer's offices and would occasionally travel to meetings, court or tribunals as necessary.

When in court you would wear formal clothing including a wig and gown. Outside of court, you would wear smart business clothing.

Income

Salaries during pupillage are at least £12,000 a year (pupillage is the final stage of training to be a barrister).

In the first few years of practice, earnings can be anywhere between £25,000 and £200,000 a year, depending on specialism and reputation.

Salaries in the Crown Prosecution Service are between £28,000 and £60,000 a year.

Top earnings in private practice can reach £750,000 a year or more.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Entry requirements

To become a barrister, you must first complete an academic stage of training, followed by a vocational stage and a practical pupillage.

You can complete the academic stage by gaining:

either an approved law degree (known as a qualifying law degree) at class 2:2 or above
or a degree at 2:2 or above in any other subject, followed by a postgraduate Common Professional Examination (CPE) or Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL).

Many Chambers require that applicants for pupillage have a minimum 2:1 degree, and the proportion accepted with a lower second class degree is very low.

See the Education and Training section of the Bar Standards Board website for details of qualifying law degrees and postgraduate law courses.

Bar Standards Board

To do a qualifying law degree, you normally need three A levels with good grades, plus at least five GCSEs (A-C). Other qualifications, such as an Access to Higher Education course, may be accepted. At some universities, you may also need to pass the National Admissions Test for Law (LNAT). Check exact entry requirements with individual course providers.

Most barristers begin vocational training straight after getting their law degree or postgraduate law qualification, but this is not essential. Others work for a number of years in related fields first, and some transfer from other professions. For information about the vocational stage and pupillage, see the Training and Development section below.

Competition is extremely strong for all stages of barrister training, so any relevant work experience can improve your chances. In particular, you should try to undertake at least three mini pupillages - a short period of work experience shadowing a barrister in Chambers. Information on mini pupillages and how to apply is available on individual Chambers’ websites.

Training and development

After passing the academic stage, you must complete two further stages of study and training in order to qualify to practise as a barrister. These are:

vocational stage – a one-year full-time or two-year part-time Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC), and 12 qualifying sessions (educational activities) with one of the four Inns of Court
pupillage – 12 months' practical training with an experienced barrister. This involves six months of shadowing, six months of supervised practice and formal training courses in advocacy and advice to counsel.

There are many more applicants than places for pupillages each year.

For pupillage statistics and information about the Inns of Court, see the Bar Council’s website.

The Bar Council

You must also take a forensic accountancy course, either during pupillage or in your first three years of practice. Once you have qualified, you will need to take part in continuing professional development (CPD) throughout your career. See the Bar Standards Board and Bar Vocational Council websites for more information about the BPTC, pupillage and CPD.

After at least ten years of practice, you could apply to become a Queen's Counsel (senior barrister), or become a judge.

Improving access to the Bar

The profession is working to ensure that access to the Bar is fair and open to all those with the necessary ability and determination.

For more information, see:

For the latest statistics on the practising Bar and to read 'Bar Barometer' – a report identifying trends in the profile of the Bar – see the Bar Council's website.

Bar Council

Skills and knowledge

To become a barrister, you will need to have:

excellent communication and advocacy skills
good research and writing skills
confident public speaking skills
the ability to analyse large amounts of information
a logical approach and a high level of attention to detail
the ability to work well under pressure
discretion, for working with confidential information
the ability to avoid emotional involvement in cases.

More information

The Bar Council (Opens new window)
289-293 High Holborn
London
WC1V 7HZ
Tel: 020 7242 0082
http://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
www.barcouncil.org.uk

Law Careers (Opens new window)
www.lawcareers.net

All About Law - The Law Careers Website (Opens new window)
www.allaboutlaw.co.uk

National Admissions Test for Law (LNAT) (Opens new window)
www.lnat.ac.uk

Opportunities

Most barristers (around 80%) work from chambers in private practice and are self-employed.

Alternatively, you could choose the 'employed Bar'. This means working full-time for one employer such as the Government Legal Service or Crown Prosecution Service, or working as a legal adviser in companies or magistrates’ courts. See the following websites for more information.

You may find the following useful for vacancies and general reading (links open in new windows):

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.

Related industry information

Industry summary

The prosecution service is part of the justice sector, which is represented by Skills for Justice Sector Skills Council. It includes: forensic science; police and law enforcement; courts and tribunals; custodial care; community justice; plus fire and rescue services. The sector works to create and maintain a safe, just and stable society. Its purpose is to reduce crime and re‐offending, promote confidence in the criminal justice system, protect people and contribute to the reduction and fear of crime, and support the administration of justice. The sector employs around 600,000 employees in the UK across a range of organisations operating with different remits.

The prosecution service operates in:

Crown Prosecution Service (England and Wales)
Crown Office of the Procurator Fiscal (Scotland)
Public Prosecution Service (Northern Ireland)
Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office (remit extends across the UK)

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the Government Department responsible for prosecuting criminal cases investigated by the police in England and Wales. As the principal prosecuting authority in England and Wales, it is responsible for: advising the police on cases for possible prosecution; reviewing cases submitted by the police; where the decision is to prosecute, determining the charge (in all but minor cases); preparing cases for court; and the presenting cases at court.

Key facts:

In total there are 11,258 people working in prosecution services across the UK, of which:
- over 8,730 are employed by the Crown Prosecution Service, including around 2,800 lawyers
- 323 are employed in Revenue and Customs Prosecution Service
Just over 1.3 million cases are heard in Magistrates’ courts and another 115,000 in Crown Court.
The Crown Prosecution Service consists of 39 offices in England headed by a Chief Crown Prosecutor.
67% of the Crown Prosecution Service is female and 12% are from a minority ethnic background.
Women across the justice sector as a whole tend to be concentrated in support roles.

Jobs in the industry range from: Legal trainees, Prosecutors, Caseworkers, Administrators, Crown Advocates, Witness Care Officer, Associate Prosecutor.

National and regional data

The East Midlands has 5 CPS Area Offices, which employ 590 full‐time equivalent staff. The five area offices are: Derbyshire; Leicestershire; Lincolnshire; Northamptonshire; and Nottinghamshire.

The East of England has 6 area offices that employ 610 full‐time equivalent staff. The offices are: Bedfordshire; Cambridgeshire; Essex; Hertfordshire; Norfolk; and Suffolk.

London has 2 Area Offices, which together employ approximately 2,160 full‐time equivalent staff, making it the largest CPS region. Additionally, the Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office employs 323 staff, which is split between London and Manchester.

The North East has 3 Area Offices, which employ 460 full‐time equivalent staff. The three offices are: Cleveland; Durham; and Northumbria.

The North West has 5 Area Offices that employ 1,240 full‐time equivalent staff. The five offices are: Cheshire; Cumbria; Greater Manchester; Lancashire; and Merseyside. Additionally, the Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office employs 323 staff, which is split between London and Manchester. The North West is the second largest region behind London.

The South East has 5 Area Offices that employ 890 full‐time equivalent staff. The five offices are: Hampshire; Kent; Surrey; Sussex; and Thames Valley.

The South West has 5 Area Offices that employ 530 full‐time equivalent staff. The five forces are: Avon and Somerset; Devon and Cornwall; Dorset; Gloucestershire; and Wiltshire.

The West Midlands has 4 Area Offices that employ 870 full‐time equivalent staff. The four offices are: Staffordshire; Warwickshire; West Midlands; and West Mercia.

Yorkshire and Humberside has 4 Area Offices that employ 910 full‐time equivalent staff, the third largest region in England. The four Area Offices are: Humberside; North Yorkshire; South Yorkshire; and West Yorkshire.

The Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service (PPSNI) was formally launched in 2005. The service is regionally based and employs 562 staff, of which 165 are lawyers. There is an expected replacement demand of 25% due to retirements by 2014. The following skill shortages have been identified: provision of experience for prosecutors; management skills for lawyers; potential impact of devolution; and management skills development.

In Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) provide independent public prosecution and deaths investigation service. It is a department of the Scottish Government and is headed by the Lord Advocate. The Procurator Fiscal Service is divided into 11 areas, with an Area Procurator Fiscal for each. There is a network of 48 Procurator Fiscal offices, one for each Sheriff Court district. It employs 1,520 staff of which 30% are legal staff. The following skill shortages have been identified: increased partnership working; leadership and management; and keeping up with legislative change.

In Wales, the Crown Prosecution Service employs over 470 full‐time equivalent staff over four Areas Offices, including: Dyfed Powys; North Wales; Gwent; and South Wales.