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Higher contrast

The Statistics

Becoming a self-employed barrister is a notoriously competitive process, with many able candidates at every stage.

We have included, below, all of the most up-to-date information available on the number of people who do the BVC, the number who do pupillage, and the number who get tenancy.

Before you embark on training as a barrister, you should be clear about the challenges and the risks. But if you are committed to the profession, and if you have the ability to succeed, you should not be put off by the statistics alone.

You will see from the information given below that the most challenging step for most trainee barristers is securing pupillage. Around 1500 people successfully complete the BVC each year, whereas fewer than 600 pupillages are offered each year. You should remember, when considering this, that these figures slightly exaggerate the true picture since some of the BVC students are international students who do not wish to gain pupillage in this country.

Bar Standards Board BVC & Pupillage Monitoring Data      

BVC

BVC Year  03/04 04/05  05/06 

06/07

 07/08
Applicants 2570 2883 2917 2870 2864
Enrolments 1406 1665 1745 1932 1837
Successful  1251 1392 1480 1560 NA

NA = Not currently available


Numbers in Pupillage 

Total number of barristers who commenced their 1st six months’ pupillage between:

Date of pupillage  Number
1 October 2000 & 30 September 2001  695
1 October 2001 & 30 September 2002  812*
1 October 2002 & 30 September 2003   586
1 October 2003 & 30 September 2004  518
1 October 2004 & 30 September 2005   556
1 October 2005 & 30 September 2006   515
1 October 2006 & 30 September 2007 527
1 October 2007 & 16 July 2008 419

*NB due to 30th September 2002 falling on a Monday, 112 pupillages which would normally have been registered in the 2002/3 year were registered in the 2001/2 year, causing the higher than usual figure for that year and the lower than usual figure for 2002/3.

Total number of barristers who commenced 2nd six month pupillage between:

Date of pupillage  Number
1 October 2000 & 30 September 2001   700
1 October 2001 & 30 September 2002   724
1 October 2002 & 30 September 2003   702
1 October 2003 & 30 September 2004  557
1 October 2004 & 30 September 2005   598
1 October 2005 & 30 September 2006 567
1 October 2006 & 30 September 2007 563
1 October 2007 & 16 July 2008 529

Tenancy

Total number of barristers who entered tenancy for the first time between:

Date of Tenancy  Number
1st October 1998 & 30th September 1999  541
1st October 1999 & 30th September 2000  511
1st October 2000 & 30th September 2001   535
1st October 2001 & 30th September 2002   541
1st October 2002 & 30th September 2003   698
1st October 2003 & 30th September 2004  601
1st October 2004 & 30th September 2005   544
1st October 2005 & 30 September 2006 531
1 October 2006 & 30 September 2007 499
1 October 2007 & 15 December 2007 268

 Total number of barristers who obtained tenancy in the employed bar for the first time between:

Date of Tenancy Number
1 October 2003 & 30 September 2004 182
1 October 2004 & 30 September 2005 156
1 October 2005 & 30 September 2006 191
1 October 2006 & 30 September 2007 228
1 October 2007 & 30 December 2007 38