The Bar Council is experiencing some technical difficulties at the moment which are affecting our members' access to MyBar and the Direct Access Portal.

All other Bar Council systems are still functioning, including emails, the Bar Council website, Pupillage Gateway, Ethics & Practice Hub, and Wellbeing at the Bar website.

The Authorisation to Practise deadline has now been extended for a second month, to 30 June 2022, so all those who currently have practising certificates can continue to practise without the need to contact The General Council of the Bar of England and Wales. In the meantime, those who need a practising certificate because they are starting or returning to practice, can be authorised without a certificate if they email records@barcouncil.org.uk. For authorisation to practise without a provisional practising certificate please email contactus@barstandardsboard.org.uk. The expiration date for the Professional Users Courts and Tribunals Access Scheme has also been extended until 31 May 2022 and we will begin this year’s renewal process as soon as we are able to do so.

We apologise if you have had difficulty contacting us during this time. Read our joint statement.

Bar Placement Scheme

The Bar Placement Scheme allows students to spend up to four days shadowing their barrister in chambers and in court. Participants receive advocacy training from the Inns of Court College of Advocacy. This is an excellent opportunity to build up your skills and CV, and to work out whether a career at the Bar would be suitable for you. In 2022, there are placements available in Birmingham, Bristol, Chester, Hull, London, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Sheffield, and Swansea.

Applications are now closed for this year's Bar Placement Week 4-8 July 2022, though we are seeking additional applications for the following:

Sixth-form or college students over 18 (i.e., year 13 or equivalent) for placements in London, Manchester, Birmingham, and Leeds
Sixth-form or college students 16-18 (i.e., year 12 or 13, or equivalent) for placements in Hull, Sheffield and Chester

If you would like to apply for one of these placements, please contact BPS@BarCouncil.org.uk by Monday 6 June 2022.

When does it run?

The Bar Placement Scheme runs from 4-8 July 2022.

Eligibility

To deliver the Bar Placement Scheme, the Bar Council works with Pathways to Law and the Social Mobility Foundation. State-educated sixth form and college students can apply to the scheme independently. Places are awarded on the following criteria:

Quality of the application
Demonstrated commitment to and interest in a career as a barrister
Fulfilment of social mobility criteria

How to apply

Applications for Bar Placement Scheme are now closed, though we are seeking additional applications for the following:

Sixth-form or college students over 18 (i.e., year 13 or equivalent) for placements in London, Manchester, Birmingham, and Leeds
Sixth-form or college students 16-18 (i.e., year 12 or 13, or equivalent) for placements in Hull, Sheffield and Chester

To apply, please email us at bps@barcouncil.org.uk or call 020 7611 1396.

The Bar Council is grateful to the Council of the Inns of Court, the Inns of Court College of Advocacy and the four Inns of Court for supporting the Bar Placement Scheme.

Read an article by a previous participant who completed a placement in London, and one student's account of their placement in Manchester.

If you are a barrister and your chambers would be interested in hosting a student, please email us or call 020 7611 1396.