So, you’ve decided you want to become a barrister? You’ve considered all of the cons of this path: the competitive nature of pupillages, the difficulties of securing a tenancy afterwards, the uncertainty of income when you’re self-employed, and the costs of the BPC… well done, you must be dedicated.
First thing that is worth knowing is that the four Inns of court offer scholarships to students to help with the costs of the BPC and the deadline for these applications is before you even apply for the course. Each Inn has a different amount of funding available, and some are more competitive than others, so you’ll want to research the Inns a little and find which one will be the most suitable to you.
For example, I wanted to apply for Grays Inn, they shortlist interviewees from the applications, and scholarships are based on merit alone, however I unfortunately missed the deadline and instead ended up applying to Inner Temple (a happy accident, they interview all applicants, and whilst based on merit, they also consider financial need).
The scholarship application
The applications aren’t too daunting, the Inn is looking for information about you and why you should get the funding, if you’re applying to Grays Inn and Lincolns Inn then the application is very important, if you don’t stand out and have strong academics, you most likely won’t get an interview. However, the Temple Inns will interview everyone, which is a serious pressure reliever, but doesn’t mean you can just breeze through – you still want to be a strong candidate.
You will need two references, academic or professional, and they will have to complete their forms on a deadline as well – I had to chase both of mine to get them to do it on time! The best choice would be your lecturers, and make sure to choose the ones who have already marked some of your work so they can really speak to your academic ability.
If I remember right, the deadline for all of the applications is the 13th of December, so get that in your diaries!
Preparing for the scholarship interview
There is a plethora of information regarding scholarship interviews, how to best prepare and what to expect. Whilst I have not gone through the process yet, I have my interview scheduled a month from now, and have already started preparing (YouTube has some great stuff!).
I have learned that one of the interviewers will attempt to spark a debate with you, either disagreeing with something you’ve said, or taking something from your application and ask you to persuade someone to your point of view. Do not bow down to them and sway to their viewpoint, they want you to stand up for yourself and create a coherent argument under pressure – it’s a key attribute for a barrister, and they want to invest in someone who will succeed.
There is also a small task included with the interview, on the day you will be provided with a case, for which you must come up with an opinion. Something I’ve never done and haven’t started preparation for, but I will be soon. Of-course there will be no right or wrong answer, it’s all about your reasoning and understanding on the law.
The interviews are only short, 15 minutes long – but I have no doubt that they will be tough, and highly competitive – especially with the bigger inns such as inner temple and middle temple, as they may have the most funding, but they also have the most applicants, and hold interviews with every single one
For this reason, I would advise anyone applying for scholarships to really get to grips with key questions: why you want to practice law, why you chose to be a barrister, why not a solicitor? Also get to know your CV and application answers so you can prepare yourself for questions about yourself and what you’ve told them.
The BPC application
- ULaw: requires a minimum 2.1 for the BPC, and a pass on the BCAT
- UWE: requires a minimum 2.2 for the BPC and a pass on the BCAT
This application is a bit longer than the scholarship one; in fact, I’ve only just finished mine!
For the BPC you apply directly to the institutions, unlike the LPC where you apply through Law CAB. I personally have applied to ULaw, and the application is very standard; your personal details, academic qualifications, references and personal statement, along with a statement of when you’ve displayed excellent communication.
They again give you a lot of guidance on what you should include in your application, and also what you shouldn’t include – such as, how law was your childhood dream.
I have also started my application for the BPC at UWE, as an alum I get a 15% discount, which is very helpful when the course is so expensive! So far, the application appears very easy, and less information is required than ULaw.
- The BPC interview
The next step for ULaw should I pass their initial paper sift will be an interview with one of the lecturers which should last about 10 minutes, and a 5-minute plea in mitigation.
For this the best preparation will be similar to the scholarship one: knowing why you want to be a barrister, why the law, why ULaw etc.
For the plea, I am going to talk to one of my lecturers who is a barrister and hopefully he will be able to give me some guidance on it – don’t be afraid to make use of your lecturers for these sorts of things, if they don’t have the expertise they can direct you to another member of staff who does!
So far, UWE has not mentioned an interview or any kind of assessment and so I imagine that should the application be accepted then you may secure a place on the course, subject to your results – however once I’ve submitted and hear back from them I will update you guys!
- Key tips:
- Be confident – this can be hard, especially when your being judged by a panel of people but remember that they want to give you the scholarship/course place, and they just need a reason to.
- Be yourself – this goes hand in hand with confidence to me, let your personality shine through in your conversation and answers.
- Be prepared – a fundamental requirement, the last thing we want is ‘ums and ah’s’ as our answers!
I hope this has been helpful for you, and I wish you all the best of luck!
The Law Student Diaries 