The route to qualifying as a barrister can be broken down into many steps either academic (legal/non legal degree), vocational (Bar Vocational Course) or work experience (pupillage).

School/Sixth Form College Checklist
• Aim to get the best GCSE and A-level grades possible this will put you in good stead when applying for the BVC and most importantly pupillages.
• Also get some legal work experience either in a solicitors firm or voluntary work. Your secondary school might help arrange some relevant work experience in your final year.
• Start researching and applying for universities.
• Subscribe/sign up to legal career websites and law related magazines to keep in touch with up coming law fairs, events and developments within the law.

University: 1st year
• Join your universities student law and debating society. These offer valuable sources of careers related information and will help develop early public speaking skills essential for a career at the bar.
• Get involved in mooting (some universities offer it as an elective) and pro bono activities such as FRU and CAB as soon as possible.
• Also consider other law & non-law related work experience. (Even if you want to be a barrister some work experience in a solicitor’s office will still be beneficial as you can compare the two professions and justify your career choice.)
• Seek out & pick up legal literature supplied by your uni. This will save on prescription fees and still keep you up-to-date.

University: 2nd Year
Autumn Term
• Research types of chambers to apply for pupillage. Look for chambers that carry out work in the areas that interest you & their pupillage criteria.
• Attend events hosted by your careers department, e.g. talks by Judges and Barristers.
• Attend tours of the four Inns of Court.

Christmas Vacation and Spring Term
• Research funding & scholarship opportunities for the BVC. Some chambers will support pupils through this year, as do the four Inns of Court. (The deadline for all chambers differs so make a note of these in a calander.)
• Apply for mini-pupillages to different chambers that interest you and consider other relevant work experience.

Summer Term and Vacation
• Complete your mini-pupillages. Doing more than one will look better on your CV, as it demonstrates you have "tested the market".

University: Final Year
• Join one of the four Inns of Court that you visited in your second year. This is a prerequisite for getting onto the BVC.
• Research postgraduate law schools that offer the BVC.
• Apply for scholarships for the BVC from either a set of chambers or your Inn of Court. There are also banks that offer loans especially for BVC applicants.
• Make pupillage applications to both OLPAS (Online Pupillage Application System) & Non-OLPAS sets.
• Attend pupillage interviews.

BVC Year
• Complete compulsory courses, including advocacy, negotiation and civil litigation.
• The BVC can be studied either full time in one year or part time over two years.
• Attend the '12 dinners' qualifying sessions hosted by your Inn of Court.

Pupillage
• Carry out your ‘First Six’ (this is the first six months of your pupillage.) This period will be mainly spent working on members of chambers cases.
• Undertake your ‘Second Six’. During these six months you will be given your own cases and appear in court.
• After your 12months apply for tenancy either at your original chambers or an alternative.