When beginning my mini-pupillage, I anxiously anticipated being thrown headfirst into a vigorously professional environment – yet this was the furthest from my true experience!
The people behind the cases
The formal demeanour of barristers was revealed to me as simply a protocol to maintain client relations, which quickly dispersed in conversation with myself and their colleagues. It was a refreshing realisation when talking with the barristers who were kind enough to let me follow them in their work, as learning about them as people and their journey in the profession was very motivating. As well as this, the collaborative elements of the work I witnessed were fascinating, as cases were commonly passed between fellow members of the chambers to be presented and worked on instead of another, and when in the Crown Court, the friendly environment of the cloakroom was comforting as the barristers all discussed their cases and their feelings towards them together. Yet, these feelings never invade their work, as the changes I watched from a casual conversation with me to a conversation with their client on the phone was impressive to say the least. I also got to see the vast difference in the demeanours of clients interacted with, as in the Crown Court I witnessed two appeal cases. One case of a kind and apologetic man, and another of a very headstrong and volatile one, which was enlightening to wonder the broad scope of clients brought into interaction with this profession.
How much was going to happen?
As well as this, a significant part of what I learnt about being a barrister is the fluidity of their work. Depending on the trajectory of their cases, a barrister’s diary can quickly go from a full to an empty day at a moment's notice. There were uncertain moments as to whether there would be work for us to spectate at certain moments. However, this did not make the experience any less fulfilling, as any time we did not have any cases to watch, we were promised to be called back during a time when there were days full of cases that we were available on. The timings of their work also seemed to vary tremendously, from waiting for a judgement to quickly rereading briefs and bundles minutes before joining a call to put their case forward. The variety in this occupation appeals to me greatly, and this experience of witnessing firsthand the fast preparations contrasting the free days without work to be done was an amazing insight to the future I wish to have for myself.
The future of the legal system
A really interesting aspect of the adaptation of the law in practice I noted was the increased usage of technology. I was shown various post-Covid features of legal proceedings, most notably new software and the increased usage of online hearings. Whilst in the Crown Court, I had a chance to see the new facilities used to create and share bundles between barristers, which is said to have simplified their work immensely for both themselves and other legal personnel accessing these files. Furthermore, whilst directly in the chambers, I attended various hearings over my time there in the family courts via video calls, which were very fascinating to me! The dynamics seemed to differ to what I had assumed would happen in a family court, as the hearings I witnessed seemed to be more relaxed than anything, yet the eccentric nature of the clients did not falter, even in child custody cases!
As well as this, the increasing usage of technology in the legal system makes the work of barristers more flexible, as the chambers I went to had told me before Covid, the barristers were in their chambers everyday. Yet now, they had much more freedom to stay at home and come into the chambers when most necessary for them. I have seen that this contributes further to the lenience of their self-employed roles, and I hope to be in this profession myself to experience and witness further developments in the modern use of the law.
Thanks to this Scheme, I have had the invaluable opportunity to see the real work of barristers, from Crown Court Appeals to Family Court Injunctions, and the allure of this industry only increased when getting to see its true inner workings.