The Bar course
The vocational component of Bar training goes by different names, including the Bar Practice Course, the Bar Training Course and Bar Vocational Studies, but the core is shared. Civil litigation and criminal litigation are assessed in centralised examinations set by the Bar Standards Board, and providers assess the practical skills.
Civil and criminal litigation
Procedure, evidence and sentencing, taught for the centralised examinations.
Advocacy
Applications, examination-in-chief and cross-examination, with practice and feedback.
Opinion writing and drafting
Clear, practical written advice and pleadings that answer the client’s real question.
Conference skills and ethics
Client conferences and the professional conduct rules that run through practice.
Pupillage applications
Pupillage is among the most competitive stages of any legal career. We help you choose the right chambers and practice areas, write applications that are specific and persuasive, prepare for assessed exercises, and rehearse first and second round interviews, including advocacy exercises and ethical dilemmas. We also help with mini-pupillage applications.
Transferring to the Bar of England and Wales
Qualified lawyers from other jurisdictions may be able to transfer to the Bar of England and Wales, which can involve passing the Bar Transfer Test. We support transferring lawyers with the substantive law and the skills assessed.
How we work
Every programme starts with a conversation about your provider, your assessments and your goals. Sessions combine teaching with practice: you draft, argue and answer, and we give you the kind of feedback a pupil supervisor would.
