Barristers: Feedback failure
Pupils who went to Oxbridge are 15 times more likely to have obtained pupillage awards of £60,000 or more, when compared to pupils who went to all other universities, according to new research.
The annual pupillage survey by the Bar Council also said incidents of bullying, harassment and/or discrimination “appear to be falling”.
Some 18% of pupils said they had witnessed or experienced these behaviours, down from 28% in 2025 and 26% in 2024
The survey received 143 responses, mostly from those in their first, rather than second, six.
More than eight in 10 (83%) said their overall experience of pupillage has been positive (56% said it was ‘very positive’), although nearly a third of disabled pupils were ‘negative’ about their pupillage experience, compared to 13% of those without a disability.
Notably, the small cohort of second six pupils was far less satisfied than those in their non-practising period – only 55% were positive.
The median pupillage award this year was £40,000-49,999, higher than previously, but the median anticipated debt level remained the same at £50,000-59,999.
Pupils mainly working in crime were nearly twice as likely as those in other areas to have lower awards, while just 8% of those in areas with publicly funded work had awards of £60,000 or more, compared to 46% of the rest.
Eight in 10 (83%) of pupils in commercial practice had awards of £60,000 or more compared to 70% in Chancery practice areas and 7% in all other areas.
Pupils who went to Oxbridge (61%) were 15 times more likely to have obtained awards of £60,000 or more, when compared to pupils who went to all other universities (4%). This is the first time the Bar Council has made the link.
The pupillage award gap between men and women “appears to have narrowed a little this year” (17% of women obtained awards of £60,000 or more, compared to 29% of men).
Of the 119 pupils who responded to the questions on bullying, harassment and/or discrimination, 16 (13%) reported personal experience, and five more had witnessed it – both lower proportions than previous years. But 40% of the second six pupils had experienced it.
Pupils were much more likely to report that the incident took place in-person than online and most often the perpetrator was another barrister.
The report expressed disappointment that there was only a slight increase (47% to 52%) in students receiving feedback on pupillage applications, given that chambers have been encouraged to improve their performance n this.
Other findings included:
- Four in 10 successfully secured pupillage after one application round, 48% took two or three application rounds and 16% took four or more rounds;
- The majority (77%) of pupils were satisfied with their inductions, but neurodivergent pupils were twice as likely to indicate that they were either ‘not satisfied’ or ‘neutral’;
- Nearly three quarters of pupils (72%) said that a career at the Bar was ‘viable’ going forward – a marked improvement on last year but again reflective of the first six bias in the results;
- A lack of work-life balance was the main reason given for a career not being viable. This was raised as an issue more among women and disabled pupils;
- More than half of respondents (55%) ‘definitely’ envisage doing legal aid work, a little lower than in previous years.
- The median working hours for pupils remains between 41-50 hours per week.
Bar Council Chair Kirsty Brimelow KC said: “The Bar is a wonderful profession, as demonstrated by many of the positive responses we received to this survey.
“It’s vital that our junior colleagues and aspiring barristers are supported along the pathway to and into the Bar. The Bar Council seeks to do this. One focus of mine is improving access to practice for barristers with disabilities, seen and unseen, and those who are neurodivergent.”
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