Do you have what it takes to be a successful barrister? Demonstrate tenacity, intellect, commitment and interpersonal skills and you will excel in this highly competitive field.

There are more BVC graduates than there are pupillage vacancies, and there are more pupillages than there are tenancies. Competition to become a barrister is extremely fierce. Therefore chambers can, and will, be very selective when inviting candidates for interview. Only those with outstanding skills will succeed.

What skills will I need?

To succeed as a barrister, excellent organisational skills are essential, particularly for the Independent Bar where barristers are self-employed. Wherever you practise, you will need to be able to manage your time effectively and prioritise tasks. Strong intellectual skills will be near the top of most recruiters’ checklists, because barristers have to cope with analysing complex problems and producing convincing strategies to address key issues.

Your communication and interpersonal skills should be sophisticated enough to allow you to communicate and work effectively with fellow barristers, clients, juries, judges, clerks, solicitors, pupils and others.

A key task as a barrister is advocacy, which requires a considerable level of confidence, presentation skills and the ability to persuade others to accept your point of view. Some of the cases on which barristers work are long and complicated and may involve early mornings, late evenings and weekends. Therefore, all recruiters of pupil barristers expect applicants to demonstrate energy, tenacity and commitment to the Bar and their areas of law.

Key skills

• applied intellectual ability
• presentation and advocacy skills, ie the ability to present a point of view convincingly
• ability to absorb, understand and analyse large amounts of information
• the ability to think quickly and speak persuasively
• self-motivation
• ability to handle pressure, long hours, demanding deadlines and great responsibility.

Demonstrating your skills

It is important to provide recruiters with evidence that you have the essential skills they value. Use a variety of examples, such as the those below, from university, extracurricular activities or work experience:

• Work as a journalist on a student newspaper
  Advocacy, teamwork, tenacity, written communication
• Mooting
  Commitment to the Bar, public speaking, research skills
• Voluntary work
  Time management, interpersonal skills, commitment to social justice.