Samuel Chaplin participated in the Bar Placement Scheme (BPS) in 2023 and later received an offer to study law at the University of Cambridge. In this blog, he shares his experience of the BPS and why it helped him choose to study law and consider a career at the Bar.
“I am delighted to inform you that you have been successful, and that you will be placed with Monckton Chambers.”
I remember that when I received this email, I was thrilled. Having only been a few months into starting Sixth Form, I was excited to peer into the world of being a barrister – to me, it was this mystical profession hidden by a shroud of wigs and gowns. In that sense, the placement was somewhat intimidating. That feeling stayed with me in the back of my mind for weeks up until I travelled into London for the first day of the scheme. However, when I stepped into chambers for the first time, my fear of being out of place was immediately dissipated by the welcome I was given by the staff and barristers at Monckton, and that shroud which closed the Bar off was quickly lifted.
The placement
During the placement week, I spent a lot of time at chambers learning about the areas of law the set specialised in, and seeing first-hand the day-to-day work barristers were involved in. At the chambers I was placed in, I had the privilege to work with a range of fantastic barristers which had specialisms from human rights to competition law. I was amazed to see just how integral the law is to all functions of society; from governing the ability of big businesses to take over and merge with other businesses, to protecting the rights of individuals against interference from the state. The realisation of just how vast the law was from only the few areas I looked at in chambers heavily weighed in on my decision to study law at university.
Though I did spend a lot of time learning from barristers and staff in chambers, I did manage to accompany a barrister to court once in the week. However, the hearing didn’t advance the case itself – instead it was confronting an issue with the communication between counsels. I appreciated the insight into the background administration of cases, and the importance of timely disclosure between the opposing legal teams.
On the final day of the placement week, I also had the opportunity to meet with other students on the BPS at Lincoln’s Inn for a taste of advocacy training. We tried our hand at representing characters in a pre-prepared scenario, forcing us to think creatively about how best to engage with witnesses, the victim and the defendant to prove our sides of the case. The training was initially quite daunting as it exposed the articulation and thought which goes into barristers’ speech. However, it led me to feel even more attracted to the profession so that I may have the opportunity to continue improving my advocacy, especially in an area of law I am passionate about.
My reflections on the BPS
For me, the Bar Placement Scheme was an incredibly enriching experience overall - not only for the chance to see barristers in action, but also for helping me discover my desire to study law at university, and to possibly even join the Bar one day. If you are playing with the idea of pursuing a career at the Bar, or even if you are just thinking about studying law at university, the scheme can offer so much in the way of the insight and inspiration that you may need towards realising that goal.