Pupillage at Serjeants' Inn Chambers

Winner of the Chambers of the Year award at the Chambers & Partners UK Bar Awards, the Halsbury Legal Awards and the Modern Law Awards 2015, Serjeants’ Inn Chambers specialises in important, high profile medical, police, regulatory and public law cases, often involving political, ethical or and social issues. We are a busy, progressive and friendly set of chambers. Our silks and juniors are universally recognised for their advocacy and tactical acumen. We have a senior management team who draw on their respective commercial, clerking and marketing skills gained on both sides of the profession to run the set for the benefit of members, staff and clients.

Read Serjeants’ Inn's pupillage prospectus here

We ensure that our pupils obtain the best and broadest possible training for a career at the Bar in a supportive environment. Our pupils do not compete for a limited number of tenancies. We recruit only pupils who we believe to have the ability to become tenants. During the first six months of pupillage normal working hours of 9.00 am to 6.30 pm are strictly observed. In the second six you can expect to take on plenty of your own work. Our work is demanding but there is plenty of help available from pupil supervisors, your allocated mentor, the clerks and other members of chambers. We provide constant feedback throughout your pupillage.

Read Serjeants’ Inn's Legal Cheek profile here.

We recruit purely on merit in accordance with our equality and diversity policy, encourage applications from all sections of the community and are happy to make reasonable adjustments as necessary for those with disabilities, either for the purpose of making an application or undertaking a pupillage in chambers. We look for first rate intellectual ability, sound practical judgment, good inter-personal skills and the determination to succeed at the Bar.

Our work

(1) Clinical Negligence & Healthcare

Described as “a titan in the field for many years now” by Chambers & Partners, Serjeants’ Inn Chambers is undoubtedly the best place for pupillage for those with an interest in any aspect of clinical negligence and healthcare law. Our barristers are among the most accomplished specialists in the country, representing both claimants and defendants. Major cases include: Chester v Afshar (clinical negligence) and Shipman (medical crime).

(2) Employment

We have a growing employment team which practises across the range of employment law for a variety of claimants and respondents. We have particular experience in cases involving discrimination, whistleblowing and injunctions to require compliance with contractual disciplinary procedures. Cases include Edwards v Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in the Supreme Court.

(3) Police

Our police team is ranked No.1 in the UK and has been for almost a decade. We act on behalf of most police forces around the country in inquests, civil claims (eg. malicious prosecution), judicial reviews, sensitive operational advice (eg. on covert surveillance) and civil applications (eg. ASBOs). We have appeared in many of the most high profile police cases including Austin (the litigation following the May Day 2001 protests), Laporte (anti-Iraq War protests) and the shootings of barrister Mark Saunders, Jean Charles de Menezes and Raoul Moat. We are also currently engaged in the Hillsborough Inquest.

(4) Professional Discipline & Regulatory

We have long been at the forefront of this exciting and growing area of practice (we won the Professional Discipline Set of the Year Award at the Chambers & Partners Bar Awards 2014 and 2015). We represent healthcare professionals in all regulators’ forums including the GMC, GDC and HPC. In the police sector we prosecute and defend in misconduct proceedings and we enjoy a national profile in this field. Members of the team also act for solicitors, barristers and sportsmen and women in disciplinary hearings. High profile cases include Baby P, ‘Bloodgate’, and Professors Southall and Meadow.

(5) Public & Administrative

Our Public & Administrative team practises across a variety of public law areas including judicial review, information law mental health law and inquests. We have particular experience of inquiry work with members of chambers both chairing and appearing before major public inquiries. We have experience of human rights litigation across all of our areas of practice. Recent experience includes the Baha Mousa and Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust public inquiries, the July 7th London Bombings inquests and the In Amenas inquest.

(6) Medical Ethics/Court of Protection

For over 20 years barristers from Serjeants’ Inn Chambers have been at the forefront of the law relating to medical treatment decisions for those lacking capacity. Since Re F (sterilisation) in 1990, tenants have appeared in some of the seminal medical ethical cases that have developed the law relating to capacity and consent to treatment. From the first PVS treatment withdrawal case of Bland in 1993 through to the recent widely reported case of re M (withdrawal of treatment of a patient in a minimally conscious state), tenants have been leaders in the field of ‘right to die’ cases, including appearing in the first Human Rights case heard under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Applications are through the Pupillage Gateway -- which closes on 4 May.