Bar Placement Scheme

Applications are now open for the Bar Placement Scheme. Find out how to apply below.

Bar Placement Scheme

The Bar Placement Scheme allows students to spend up to four days shadowing a 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.

Apply for the Bar Placement Scheme

Bar Placement Week will take place on Tuesday 2 July – Friday 5 July.

Applications for 2024 have opened and will close on Friday 3 May.

Eligibility criteria

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 and 1^st year undergraduate students who previously attended a state-educated sixth form and college can independently apply to the scheme. Places are awarded on the following criteria:

Quality of the application
Demonstrated commitment to, and interest in, a career as a barrister
Fulfilment of at least two of the following social mobility criteria:
1. must be currently or have previously attended a state school or college (in year 12, 13 or 1^st year undergraduate)
2. you'll be the first in your family to attend university
3. have been eligible for Free School Meals.

When and where does it run?

When

The Bar Placement Scheme 2024 will run from Tuesday 2 July to Friday 5 July 2024.

Where

Number of places and locations are yet to be finalised. However, last year, we had host chambers, covering a range of practice areas, in:

We're continuing to receive offers of places in other major cities and may be able to match you to a location not currently listed.

Advocacy training

Advocacy training will take place in London. If you are a student in the north, the location of the advocacy training is yet to be finalised.

Chambers: host a student

If you're a barrister and your chambers would be interested in hosting a student, email us at [email protected], or call Kian Goodsell (Policy Analyst: Education & CSR) on 020 7092 8166.

How to apply

Eligible students can:

Download the application form (MS Word).
Get the consent form signed by their parent, carer or guardian – this is at the bottom of the application form.
Complete the equality monitoring form online (this is voluntary).
Email your completed application form and consent form to [email protected] by 09:00 on Friday 3 May.

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.

Bar Placement Scheme Blog Competition winners

Each year, we invite students to submit a short blog describing their experiences during the week. We are consistently overwhelmed with the quality of responses.