How to become a barrister in the UK, step by step

Becoming a barrister in England and Wales is a clearly defined but demanding path. You'll need a law qualification, complete a Bar Practice Course, undertake 12 months of pupillage under an experienced barrister, and then secure a tenancy in chambers. The full process takes 3 to 5 years and costs £20,000 to £60,000 in fees alone. This guide walks you through each stage, the costs involved, and what the work actually looks like once you're qualified.

The short version

To become a barrister in England and Wales:

1. Complete a qualifying law degree (LLB) or convert to law if you studied another subject (GDL/PGDL: 1 year)
2. Pass the Bar Practice Course (BPC), now run by the Bar Standards Board (12 months)
3. Find and complete pupillage with an established barrister (12 months: 6 months non-practising + 6 months practising)
4. Apply for tenancy in a set of barristers' chambers (or practise as an unassigned barrister)

Timeline: 3 to 5 years. Cost: £20,000 to £60,000 in course fees; additional living costs during pupillage.

At a glance

Stage 1: Academic stage (qualifying law degree, GDL/PGDL conversion)

If you studied law at university

You need a law degree recognised by the Bar Standards Board. This can be:

• A three-year LLB (Bachelor of Laws)
• An equivalent qualification from an EU/EEA or other jurisdiction (subject to recognition)

The degree must cover seven foundations of legal knowledge: constitutional and administrative law, criminal law, tort law, contract law, equity and trusts, land law, and the law of obligations.

If you studied something else

If you hold a degree in any subject other than law, you take the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) or the Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL). Both are one-year conversion courses offered by universities and private providers.

Cost: £8,000 to £15,000. You study the seven foundations of legal knowledge in compressed form. Most people treat it as a full-time, intensive year. Some providers offer part-time or accelerated formats.

Choosing a provider matters. The Bar Standards Board publishes an approved providers list. Reputation and teaching quality vary; ask barristers in practice which providers they'd recommend.

Stage 2: Vocational stage (Bar Practice Course or equivalent)

After completing the academic stage, you must pass the Bar Practice Course (BPC).

The Bar Standards Board now runs a unified vocational qualification. The course covers:

• Practice skills (advocacy, conference skills, legal research, legal writing, drafting)
• Substantive law (criminal, civil, evidence, procedure)

Duration: 12 months, full-time. Part-time options exist but are rarer.

Cost: £8,000 to £15,000 in course fees, depending on provider.

The BPC typically starts in September. Admission is competitive. You'll need to have been called to the Bar by an Inn of Court (see section on Inns of Court) before you can begin pupillage, so timing matters.

Funding is limited. Some barristers' chambers offer sponsorship or fee contributions (especially in London). Many bar students take out loans or find sponsors via the Inns of Court.

Stage 3: Pupillage (first six and second six)

Pupillage is the apprenticeship stage. You're under the supervision of an experienced barrister (your "pupil master" or "pupil mistress"). It lasts 12 months, divided into two six-month blocks.

First six months (non-practising pupillage)

You observe and assist your pupil master. You might:

• Attend court hearings
• Draft pleadings and legal opinions
• Attend client conferences (meetings between barrister and client)
• Conduct legal research
• Read case papers and prepare advice memos

You do not conduct your own cases or see clients without your pupil master present. You're watching and learning.

Remuneration: Usually unpaid or £150 to £400 per week. Some chambers offer nothing; others provide a small allowance or accommodation. This is a significant financial hurdle for many candidates, especially those without family support.

Second six months (practising pupillage)

You conduct cases with your pupil master's oversight. You'll:

• Represent clients in court
• Brief and conduct advocacy
• Appear in chambers (private law) or court
• Manage your own diary

Your pupil master must be present or supervise closely, especially in the early weeks.

Remuneration: Typically £15,000 to £25,000 for the six months, plus a share of any fees you generate. This is less than a junior associate solicitor earns, but you're building reputation and case experience.

Finding pupillage

This is the hardest part. There are around 200 barristers' sets in England and Wales. Competition is intense. Around 1,800 people complete the BPC each year, but only about 600 pupil places are available.

What chambers look for:

• Strong academic record (usually a 2:1 or first-class degree)
• Advocacy and mooting experience
• Clarity on which practice area (criminal, civil, family, commercial, etc.) interests you
• Evidence of commitment to the legal profession
• Interpersonal skills and maturity

Applying is exhausting. Some barristers apply to 40 or 50 sets. The application cycle runs from January to May. Interviews and second-round advocacy exercises follow. Offers come from April onwards.

If you don't secure pupillage on your first attempt, you can reapply the following year. Many successful barristers took two or three cycles to secure a place.

Stage 4: Tenancy or unassigned practice

After pupillage, you apply for tenancy in chambers. Tenancy means you have a desk, a barrister's practice address, and a share in chambers overheads and facilities.

Tenancy in chambers

Chambers is a shared office. It includes:

• Practice management and administrative staff
• A library and research facilities
• Client meeting rooms
• Barristers' individual offices or desk space

Your pupil master's chambers may offer tenancy. If not, you apply to other sets. You'll have built a reputation during pupillage and law school, and chambers will assess your practice potential, character, and likelihood of generating work.

Becoming a tenant is competitive. A set with 20 tenancies might take 1 to 2 new tenants per year. You compete against other pupils and external applicants.

The tenancy agreement sets out your financial obligations. You pay a share of:

• Rent and premises costs
• Clerking fees (typically 10 to 15 per cent of your gross income, in some sets)
• Library, IT, and administrative services
• Professional indemnity insurance

After your first few years, you'll pay all of these costs, but they're deducted from your own earnings. In your first years, if you generate little income, your costs can exceed revenue.

Unassigned practice (self-employed without chambers)

If you don't secure tenancy, you can practise as an unassigned barrister. This means:

• You remain self-employed
• You work from home or a shared office space
• You pay for your own professional indemnity insurance
• You may use a third-party clerking service to take instructions

Unassigned practice is less common and more financially risky. You have low overheads but also less infrastructure, peer support, and client management. It's mainly suited to niche practices (legal writing, advisory work, part-time practice) rather than mainstream court-based advocacy.

Cost of training

The full cost of becoming a barrister is often underestimated. Here's a realistic breakdown:

Direct fees (tuition)

• LLB university degree: £9,000 to £20,000 (three years)
• GDL/PGDL conversion (if needed): £8,000 to £15,000
• Bar Practice Course: £8,000 to £15,000
• Subtotal: £25,000 to £50,000

Living costs during training

• During LLB: covered by student loans (standard university support)
• During GDL/PGDL: living costs (you're not earning): £10,000 to £15,000
• During BPC: living costs: £12,000 to £15,000
• During first six months of pupillage (unpaid): £12,000 to £15,000
• During second six months of pupillage (paid): already accounted for
• Subtotal: £34,000 to £45,000

Total cost

From the end of LLB to called to the Bar and in practice: £40,000 to £70,000 over approximately 2 to 3 years. If you include the LLB itself, the figure rises to £65,000 to £95,000 over 5 to 6 years.

Many people fund this through student loans, family support, or working part-time alongside study. The financial barrier is real and is one reason why the barrister profession skews towards those with parental wealth or support.

Scholarships and sponsorship

• Inns of Court offer scholarships (often £5,000 to £15,000 for BPC)
• Some chambers sponsor promising students (covering BPC fees or contributions)
• University hardship funds during GDL/PGDL
• Law access schemes exist (e.g. through the Bar Standards Board) to widen entry

Funding is competitive and scarce. Apply early and broadly.

Timeline

Minimum timeline from school leaving: 6 years (LLB + BPC + pupillage).

Typical timeline for a career-changer: 3 to 4 years (GDL/PGDL + BPC + pupillage).

Once qualified and tenanted, earnings growth is steep but irregular. First-year earnings (post-pupillage) range from £20,000 to £40,000, depending on area of law and demand. By year 5 to 10, successful junior barristers earn £50,000 to £100,000+. Senior practitioners (QCs and leaders in their field) earn considerably more.

What barristers actually do once qualified

Contrary to TV dramas, barristers spend far less time in court than non-lawyers assume.

Types of work

• Advisory opinions ("written advice"): clients ask for a legal opinion on a problem. You write a detailed analysis and recommendations, usually 5 to 20 pages. Fee: £500 to £2,000+ depending on complexity.
• Drafting: writing pleadings (statements of case), contracts, briefs, legal correspondence
• Conferences: meeting clients to discuss their case, strategy, and options
• Advocacy: representing clients in court or tribunal hearings
• Mediation and negotiation: helping parties settle disputes outside court

The ratio varies hugely by practice area. Commercial barristers might do 20 per cent court work and 80 per cent advisory and drafting. Criminal barristers do more court appearances. Family barristers do a mix of both.

How barristers get work

In the traditional model, barristers are self-employed and don't directly solicit clients. Instead, solicitors instruct barristers on behalf of clients. The barrister's clerk (office manager) handles fee negotiations and case management. This is changing. Many barristers now accept direct access (direct instructions from certain clients, including some professionals and individuals).

Daily reality

A junior barrister's week might look like:

• Monday: Court appearance in the morning (one-hour hearing). Afternoon: write advice on a property dispute for a solicitor. Evening: read tomorrow's case papers.
• Tuesday: Conference with a client facing an employment claim. Draft a response. Chase a solicitor for outstanding papers.
• Wednesday: Prepare legal research memo on an obscure point of contract law. Attend two chambers events (social, educational).
• Thursday: Full day in court (three-day trial, day two of three). Return to office at 5pm, start drafting closing submissions.
• Friday: Finish written submissions. Conduct phone conference with client to discuss settlement. Start work on a new brief for the following week.

Hours are long, especially when trial-heavy. Evening and weekend work is normal. The work is intellectually demanding but often interesting.

Inns of Court and qualifying sessions

There are four Inns of Court in England and Wales:

• Lincoln's Inn
• Inner Temple
• Middle Temple
• Gray's Inn

All four are based in London. You must join one to become a barrister. It's a centuries-old institution and a guild of barristers and judges.

What the Inn does

• Calls you to the Bar (formal ceremony marking your qualification)
• Provides professional development, training, and social events
• Maintains standards of conduct and professional discipline
• Offers occasional financial hardship support

Qualifying sessions

Traditionally, you had to dine at your Inn a minimum number of times. This requirement was largely abolished in 2019. Modern Inns focus on education events, not dining requirements.

You'll pay an annual membership fee (around £300 to £500) and attend induction and call events. The atmosphere is professional and formal, though less stuffy than in the past.

Day to day

Once established, a barrister's daily life depends on their practice area and seniority. Here's a realistic example for a five-year-qualified civil litigator:

9:00 am: Arrive at chambers. Check emails. Clerk has briefed you on a settlement offer in a current case. You review the papers and call the solicitor to discuss.

10:00 am: Conference call with a client considering whether to accept the offer. You advise on risk, costs, and next steps.

11:30 am: Draft an email to the opposing side with a counter-proposal.

12:30 pm: Lunch (often eaten at desk, or a quick walk).

1:30 pm: Research a new point of law for a different case. You use legal databases and case law to build an argument.

3:30 pm: Proof-read a lengthy written advice for another solicitor. Make edits and final checks.

4:30 pm: Clerk updates you on fee negotiations for two new cases. You discuss rates and deadlines.

5:30 pm: Start reading the brief for tomorrow's court appearance.

7:00 pm: Leave chambers (or continue reading). Weekend may involve a few hours of case preparation.

This is a day without court appearance. When you're in trial, the day structure is different, and court sits until 4:00 to 4:30 pm daily, followed by evening work preparing for the next day.

Common misconceptions

"Barristers only do court work." False. Most barristers spend more time advising, drafting, and negotiating than appearing in court.

"You can't become a barrister if your parents aren't lawyers." You can, but the profession skews towards those with parental support because pupillage is poorly paid. Many access schemes exist to help.

"All barristers wear wigs and gowns." Wigs are worn in senior courts and criminal trials (by tradition). Civil proceedings and many tribunals don't require them. In court, formality varies.

"Barristers are all highly paid." Not in your first decade. New practitioners face years of low or irregular income. Income steadies and grows significantly only after year 5 to 10.

"You must go to Oxford or Cambridge to become a barrister." False. Good barristers come from all universities. Academic strength matters; alma mater doesn't.

"Pupillage is always unpaid." The first six months are unpaid or low-paid in most chambers. The second six months are paid. Payment varies widely by chambers and area of law.

"Once you're a tenant, you're guaranteed income." No. You're self-employed. Early years can be financially precarious. Successful barristers build a client base and reputation over time; this doesn't happen overnight.

Related concepts

• Solicitors vs. barristers: The historical distinction between these two legal professions is blurring. Solicitors can now qualify as solicitor advocates and appear in higher courts. Barristers were traditionally specialists on referral only; now they accept direct access from many clients.
• Queen's Counsel (QC): A senior barrister who has built significant reputation and expertise. Appointment is competitive and competitive. QCs command higher fees and take the leading role in complex cases.
• Self-employed vs. employed barristers: Most are self-employed (tenants in chambers). Some larger firms now employ barristers on salaries. The traditional self-employed model is declining.
• Practice areas: Barristers specialise (criminal law, civil litigation, commercial law, family law, tax law, immigration law, etc.). Your early choices of pupillage and chambers shape your specialisation.
• Legal aid and publicly funded work: Many barristers take criminal and family legal aid cases. Publicly funded work pays less than private fees but is steady and important to access to justice.

Sources

• Bar Standards Board (2024). Becoming a Barrister. https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk
• Bar Council of England and Wales (2024). Career Guidance. https://www.barcouncil.org.uk
• UK Government. Becoming a Barrister. https://www.gov.uk

Disclaimer: This page provides general information about becoming a barrister in England and Wales. It is not legal advice, career advice, or a substitute for speaking with practising barristers and training providers. Rules and fees change; always check the Bar Standards Board website for the most current requirements.

Written by Peter Kolomiets, founder of CaseCalm. UK content reviewed 2026-05-28.