The number of pupillages offered has hit a new record — exceeding pre-pandemic levels, the Bar Council’s Pupillage Gateway report has shown.
A total of 638 positions were advertised through the Pupillage Gateway, the Bar Council’s recruitment portal. There were almost 150 more pupillages on offer this year than in 2019/20 (489).
The report uses data from the Pupillage Gateway, a recruitment portal owned by the Bar Council and used to advertise vacancies and recruit aspiring barristers for pupillage at the Bar.
The key points to emerge from the report are:
- The number of pupillages advertised increased by approximately 10.4%. 638 pupillages were advertised on the Pupillage Gateway in 2022/23 compared with 578 in 2021/22.
- There was an increase in the number of applicants. There were 2,979 applicants in 2022/23 compared with 2,782 in 2021/22.
- The biggest indicator of success in securing pupillage was degree classification. 60.1% of offers made were to applicants with a First Class Honours degree. 36.1% of offers made were to those with an Upper Second Class Honours degree.
- Few candidates without ever having attended a mini-pupillage obtained offers: 12.7% of candidates who had attended at least one mini-pupillage received an offer compared with 1.7% of those candidates who did not.
- 53.1% of the 288 offers recorded were received by candidates who had secured a scholarship from one of the Inns of Court, compared with 38.2% of those who did not.
- Students who have not studied law at an undergraduate level are at no disadvantage.
- A higher proportion of pupillage offers went to women (57.3%) over men (38.9%). This is comparable to 2021/22, where 57.5% went to women and 36.2% to men.
- In 2023, the number of pupillages started (501) decreased by 4.4% compared with 2022 (524).
Download the report as a PDF:
Or open the report in your browser: