We are not like other chambers and life as a pupil at Hardwicke isn't easy. We expect you to work hard; in return we will ensure you have the breadth and depth of experience needed for a successful career at the Bar.
On this site, you find out more about what we are looking for in a candidate, what we can offer you and what pupillage at Hardwicke is like - told by:
The Supervisor's View
- Steven Weddell
Each time I get a new pupil it gets harder. When I started at the bar in 1977 expectations were comparatively low and pupillage was given on a rather mystical basis. I was one of the last to pay 50 Guineas for six months. Now, all has changed and taking on a new pupil can be a daunting task.
The selection procedure at Hardwicke is such that certain facts are known in advance. The pupil will have a better class of degree than me (I have a 3rd), will know far more about the bar than I did when I started, and will have far greater expectations.
In some ways this makes the job of turning the raw material into an effective barrister easier and I see my task as giving a solid grounding in my area of the law and teaching how to be as effective as possible in the modern hard nosed commercial world of the bar. Principles and standards must not be compromised but efficient working methods pay off.
The obligations of a pupil supervisor are now much more clearly defined than they were and it goes without saying that I try to ensure that every pupil of mine is able to tick as many of the boxes as possible on the Bar Council checklist - but that is not enough. A pupil supervisor needs to give time to discussing approach, tactics and presentation as well as the more formal aspects of our work. I therefore try to ensure that these aspects are not ignored. Sitting and watching a case and then dissecting what happened adds a lot to the learning experience. I do have one expectation that arises from my interactive approach to pupil training. That is that when a pupils observes a case or reads a set of papers he or she plans out how they would approach the case - you can not plan out a case unless you can marshal the facts. My role is to test out with my pupil the approach that is to be adopted to ensure that the pupil develops the techniques for identifying the most effective and efficient way of advancing the case for the benefit of the client and meeting a barristers' professional obligations.
Success is judged by the smiling ex-pupil who comes up to me 7 years later and says, "Hi Steven, meet my latest pupil".