We are delighted that you are considering applying for pupillage and launching your career as a barrister at Blackstone Chambers.
Chambers enjoys an enviable reputation for its wide range of work covering commercial, public, human rights, employment, EU and public international law, as well as a number of specialist fields including financial services, competition, tax and sports law. Blackstone Chambers prides itself on the quality of its advocacy and the breadth of its expertise.
We are proud of Blackstone Chambers’ reputation and we attract a wide range of clients from all walks of life. Blackstone Chambers is consistently ranked as the leading set of Chambers in The Lawyer magazine’s Litigation Tracker. The tracker analyses judgments across all the main courts in England and Wales, with chambers measured by the number of reported cases, market share and case days. Its statistics show that over the past five years (June 2019 – July 2024), members of Blackstone Chambers were involved in the highest volume of decided cases.
We work hard to offer a friendly and open approach to client service. We are delighted to report the conclusion of major building works which have been running for several years. All members of Chambers, pupils and staff, are now reunited in the Blackstone House complex. Our new facilities include state of the art meeting and conference rooms, and improved accommodation for all. This has provided us with an enhanced and modern working environment to meet the needs of clients going forwards.
We enjoy our collegiate working environment. Members of Chambers tend to work closely together, seeking regular advice from colleagues. We do not believe in rigid hierarchies, and all members participate fully in the life and work of Chambers. We are committed to the principle of equal opportunity and draw our recruits from many different backgrounds, academic and professional. Current data also shows that roughly one third of our junior tenants are women.
We invest very strongly in our pupillage programme, and we believe our pupils complete their year with extremely robust legal and practical skills.
We look forward to meeting you should you undertake a mini-pupillage with us.
Tom Weisselberg KC and Jane Mulcahy KC,
co-Heads of Chambers
What we offer
Hi, I’m Tom Watret and I started as a pupil at Blackstone Chambers in September 2023, and started as a tenant at Blackstone in September 2024.
I think when you’re choosing a Chambers it’s useful just to get as much information as you can about how Chambers see themselves, and Blackstone Chambers, for instance, has loads of information on its website, which helps you to get a sense of what Blackstone’s all about. That will help you pitch your application in a way that helps show that you’re suited to that Chambers.
“I think when you’re choosing a Chambers, it’s useful just to get as much information as you can...”
'Pupillage at Blackstone is a training year'
“ Pupillage is fully non-practising so you spend the whole year being trained, and I think that’s really important because of the scope of the work that Chambers does. ”
“Blackstone Chambers is an outstanding set of chambers with a deep pool of talent. ”
Our core practice areas include:
“Hello, my name is Grant Kynaston. I joined Blackstone Chambers as a pupil in September 2023, and I’ve been a tenant in Chambers since September 2024.
Before applying to the Bar, you should keep three or four things in mind. The first, of course, is your academics. It’s important to keep your grades up. Second, you should consider your extra-curricular activities. The best demonstrate your capacity to be a good lawyer. Third, and possibly most importantly, is to be yourself. The Chambers are looking for well-rounded but interesting people. You do not need to be a drone who only knows about law but instead be someone coming to Chambers with your own offering, your own set of interests.”
“Chambers are looking for well-rounded but interesting people.”
Life as a junior tenant
“I joined Chambers as a tenant in September 2018. Before coming to the Bar, I studied law at the University of Oxford. I also worked as a research assistant in the public law team at the Law Commission and volunteered with an NGO.”
For me, being a barrister offers a unique combination of engaging intellectually with complex legal issues and thinking practically about how they are resolved and presented before a court. There is rarely a dull moment and my days are full of variety: whether that is researching for an advice; advising clients in conference; drafting written submissions; or appearing in court. Being self-employed means that you are in control of when and how long you work.
Pupillage is very useful preparation for the beginning of your career at the Bar. Each pupil shadows the same four members of Chambers in different areas of practice, alongside written and advocacy assessments. During that time, you attend court with your pupil supervisor and draft notes on the law, pleadings and skeleton arguments. It is rigorous, but also incredibly fair. You are given regular feedback from pupil supervisors and advocacy trainers, who are two senior members of Chambers. You are not required to work for any other members of Chambers. Whilst it is a year-long assessment, it is also invaluable training as a lawyer and an advocate.
Why Blackstone? First, as a junior tenant, there is a huge diversity of work on offer and you are encouraged to maintain a broad practice in your early years (though there is opportunity to specialise if you would like). That is important because there are areas of law you may enjoy academically and not in practice or vice versa, or areas of law that you may never have studied, like sports law. My first year has involved a real mix of commercial, employment and public law — both on my own and in teams with other members of Chambers. A particular highlight was being involved in the Privacy International case with Dinah Rose KC, Ben Jaffey KC, Sir Jeffrey Jowell KC and Tom Cleaver before the Supreme Court.
Beyond this, the environment in Chambers is supportive and collegiate. Every door is open to ask a question and there are weekly drinks which, in the summer months, are held on the roof terrace. It is a privilege to be part of Chambers and I would wholeheartedly encourage everyone to apply.