A summary timetable of the selection process may be found at the end of this document.
All interviews will be in person unless previously agreed.
Stage 1
Applications will open on Monday 5th January 2026 at 11.00am, Gateway Applicants will be able to start, edit and submit their applications.
Completed forms must be submitted by 11.59pm on Thursday 22nd January 2026.
Stage 1 is conducted on an anonymised basis so those marking the application form do not know the personal characteristics of each candidate.
The Pupillage Committee considers all completed application forms in accordance with the objective selection criteria (‘the Selection Criteria’) that is published online on the recruitment section of our website. The Pupillage Committee will then shortlist applicants for interview.
Stage 2
Short–listed candidates will be invited to the Stage 2 interview. Only after candidates have been selected for Stage 2 will their names be provided to the Pupillage Committee. The number of candidates who are invited to Stage 2 is necessarily limited. As a guide, in the past 5 years, Chambers has invited on average 20 candidates to attend the Stage 2 interview.
Invitations to the Stage 2 interview will be sent out by email either by a member of Chambers’ administration team or via the Pupillage Gateway. Likewise, candidates who are unsuccessful following Stage 1 will be notified by email either via the Gateway or by Chambers administration team. Notifications to both successful and unsuccessful candidates will be emailed between the beginning and the middle of March 2026.
A member of Chambers’ administration team will contact candidates who have been invited to Stage 2 and have special requirements as advised on the application form.
Interviews will be held in person over a weekend towards the middle of March 2026. The Stage 2 interview will comprise two parts. The first part of the interview will involve the discussion and analysis of a legal problem (which will be provided to each candidate 30 minutes before the interviewbegins). This first part of the interview will last approximately 30 minutes. Candidates whose first degree is not in law will not be disadvantaged by the first part of the interview.
The second part of the interview will be a competency–based interview consisting of competency– based, situational, and biographical questions, as well as a question on an ethical issue. This will also last approximately 30 minutes.
You may be asked to sit the competency–based interview before the legal interview. Clear instructions as to the order of interviews will be provided to candidates on the day.
You will be assessed in accordance with the Selection Criteria. At stage 2, the main criteria being assessed are analytical thinking, effective communication, influencing/advocacy skills, resilience, interpersonal skills, and motivation.
Stage 3
If you are successful at the Stage 2 interview, you will be invited to a final assessment. The number of candidates who proceed to the final stage in the past 5 years is on average 5. Candidates will be notified as to whether they have been successful at Stage 2 by early April 2026.
The final assessment will be in mid/late April 2026. Candidates will be given instructions for a written opinion on the morning of their assessment and will be expected to have completed and returned their work by the end of that business day. The exercise will involve researching a legal problem for which online access to Chambers’ library will be made available. The written work will form the basis of a discussion in a short, structured interview the following week.
If you are successful at Stage 3, you will be notified on Friday 8th May 2026 at 09.30am whether you have an offer and then will have to accept or decline by Friday 15th May 2026 by 09.30am.
Timetable
The following timetable shall apply to applications in 2026 for pupillage commencing in September 2026:
| Stage | Event | Date/deadline |
| Stage 1 | Applications Open | From Monday 5th January 2026 at 11.00am. |
| Deadline for submitting application form to Gateway | Thursday 22nd January 2026 By 11.59pm | |
| Stage 2 | Notification of successful and unsuccessful candidates | Early/Mid March 2026 |
| Interviews | Mid March 2026 | |
| Stage 3 | Notification of successful and unsuccessful candidates | Early April 2026 |
| Final assessments | Mid/late April 2026 | |
| Offers | Notification of successful candidates | Friday 8th May 2026 at 09.30am |
Pupillage Committee
October 2025
