Bar Placement Scheme
Gain real-life insight into the Bar
Our Bar Placement Scheme gives students in years 12 and 13, and first year undergraduates, a real-life insight into our profession. During the scheme you will:
- spend up to 4 days shadowing a barrister in chambers and in court
- take part in advocacy training from the Inns of Court College of Advocacy
This year's scheme will run from Tuesday 8 to Friday 11 July 2025.
This is an excellent opportunity to see what life is like as a barrister, and to work out whether a career at the Bar is something you'd like to pursue. During the scheme you'll gain experience and skills to enhance your CV.
Apply now
Applications are now open. To apply please submit the application form and consent form (if you're under 18 years old) and send it to [email protected] by 12pm on Friday 9 May.
We're looking at the following to be demonstrated in applications:
- Quality of the application
- Commitment to, and interest in, a career as a barrister
- Fulfilment of at least two of the following social mobility criteria:
- must be currently or have previously attended a state school or college (in year 12, 13 or first year undergraduate)
- you are / you will be the first in your family to attend university
- have been eligible for free school meals.
To deliver the Bar Placement Scheme we work with Pathways to Law and the Social Mobility Foundation. We are grateful to the Council of the Inns of Court, the Inns of Court College of Advocacy, and the 4 Inns of Court for supporting the Bar Placement Scheme.
Chambers: host a student
We'll be matching students with chambers for the scheme. We recommend that chambers host a minimum of two students. If you are interested in hosting students for Bar Placement Scheme 2025, please contact [email protected] by Monday 21 April.
Blog competition winners
Each year, we invite students to submit a short blog describing their experiences during the scheme. We are consistently overwhelmed with the quality of responses.
Bar Placement Scheme 2024: "The Bar - people for people" by Jasmine Sohl
Blog winner for the North, Jasmine Sohl, explores what she experienced during the Bar Placement Scheme and how it has inspired her to pursue a career at the Bar.
Bar Placement Scheme 2024: "The courtroom is a theatre of reality" by Katarina McCabe
Blog winner for the South, Katarina McCabe, shares her experience of the Bar Placement Scheme, exploring what a day in court is like, why she applied and what she learned from the experience.
Bar Placement Scheme 2023: "unpredictable, fast-paced, and thrilling" by Amina Yaasiin Ahmed
Amina Yaasiin Ahmed shares her experience on the Bar Placement Scheme, shadowing barristers and watching a trial in the High Court - and what she's learned from her week immersed in the Bar.
Bar Placement Scheme 2023: "Every preconception I had was incorrect" by Harry Folland
Read Harry Folland's reflections on his week with the Bar Placement Scheme, and how it challenged his ideas about what life at the Bar is really like.
Blog: Bar Placement Scheme 2022 made me sure this career is for me
Anaya Ricketts says she has picked up 'invaluable knowledge and experience'
Blog: Bar Placement Scheme 2022 an 'eye-opening experience that gave me new skills'
Eshal Waseem reflects on her time with Brick Court Chambers in London
Read placement stories by previous participants
- Read an article by a previous participant who completed a placement in London
- One student's account of their placement in Manchester