A summary timetable of the selection process may be found at the end of this document.
At present, it is anticipated that all interviews will be in person.
Stage 1
Application forms will be available to download from https://tanfieldchambers.co.uk/people/recruitment from Wednesday 3rd January 2024 at 00.01am.
Completed forms must be submitted by 11.59pm on Wednesday 7th February 2024.
Application forms received by Chambers will be processed by a member of Chambers’ administration team after the deadline for submitting application forms. Only members of this team can access the Inbox at pupillage@tanfieldchambers.co.uk.
Stage 1 is conducted on an anonymised basis so those marking the application form do not know the personal characteristics of each candidate. Each completed form will be assigned a unique number. Page 1 of the application form (boxes 1 and 2) will be detached from the rest of the application form, and the information contained thereon will be held securely by a member of the Chambers’ administration team. The Pupillage Committee will mark each application form without sight of page 1 (boxes 1 and 2).
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 by a member of Chambers’ administration team. Likewise, candidates who are unsuccessful following Stage 1 will be notified by email. Notifications to both successful and unsuccessful candidates will be emailed between the beginning and the middle of March 2024.
A member of Chambers’ administration team will contact candidates who have been invited to Stage 2 and have special requirements, as stated in box 1 of the form.
Interviews will be held in person over a weekend towards the middle of March 2024. 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 interview begins). 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.
Tanfield Chambers | 2-5 Warwick Court, London, WC1R 5DJ | DX: 46 London Chancery Lane T: +44 (0) 20 7421 5300 | E: clerks@tanfieldchabers.co.uk | W: tanfieldchambers.co.uk
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 2024.
The final assessment will be in mid/late April 2024 in Chambers. 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 10th May 2024 at 09.30am whether you have an offer and then will have to accept or decline by Friday 17th May 2024 by 09.30am.
Tanfield Chambers | 2-5 Warwick Court, London, WC1R 5DJ | DX: 46 London Chancery Lane T: +44 (0) 20 7421 5300 | E: clerks@tanfieldchabers.co.uk | W: tanfieldchambers.co.uk
Timetable
|
The following timetable shall apply to applications in 2024 for pupillage commencing in September 2024 & September 2025: Stage |
Event |
Date/deadline |
|
Stage 1 |
Application forms available |
From 3rd January 2024 |
|
Deadline for submitting application form by email |
Wednesday 7th February 2024 By 11.59pm |
|
|
Stage 2 |
Notification of successful and unsuccessful candidates |
Early/Mid March 2024 |
|
Interviews |
Mid March 2024 |
|
|
Stage 3 |
Notification of successful and unsuccessful candidates |
Early April 2024 |
|
Final assessments |
Mid/late April 2024 |
|
|
Offers |
Notification of successful candidates |
Friday 10th May 2024 at 09.30am |
