Maitland has been regarded for many years as one of the pre-eminent sets of Chambers in the field of commercial and chancery litigation. We are instructed in a huge range of cases; and are consistently ranked as a leading set in all our areas of expertise across (among other areas) international and domestic commercial disputes, civil fraud, banking and finance, trusts, company, insolvency, partnership, offshore and property litigation.

WHY MAITLAND?

Our continued success as a leading set of Chambers depends on our recruitment of the most talented people, the comprehensive training we give them during pupillage and the opportunities we offer them as junior tenants. We see every pupil as a prospective tenant; and ultimately, we hope, a future KC in Chambers.

There is no such thing as a “Maitland type”. We look for the qualities which we think are required to excel in our field of practice: a first-class mind; an aptitude for written and oral advocacy; good judgment; sound interpersonal skills; and a level temperament. We believe that those qualities are to be found in candidates from every background; and can be evidenced in many different ways.

We are committed to increasing the diversity of chambers and adopt a variety of techniques to achieve that objective, while maintaining the fair treatment of all candidates.

Please click here to download our Pupillage Brochure.

If you have any further questions, please contact Vicky Hanson (Pupillage & Administration Manager).

  • What do we offer?

    We offer a 12-month pupillage in accordance with the requirements of the Bar Standards Board; and with an emphasis throughout on training in all of the skills required of an excellent commercial chancery practitioner.

    We only offer pupillage to candidates who demonstrate that they have the ability and skills to become tenants in Chambers. We have no limit on the number of tenancies offered in any given year and pupils are never in competition with each other. We have for many years recruited as tenants most, or all, of our pupils. Provided a candidate meets the requisite standard based on their own performance, a tenancy is offered.

    From September 2024 a pupillage award of £75,000 is offered to all pupils in Chambers. Up to £30,000 of the award may be drawn down in advance during the BPT year or to pay BPT fees. The balance of the award is paid in instalments monthly in advance over the course of the 12 months of pupillage. We also fund the compulsory courses required of pupils by the Bar Standards Board.

    Prospective pupils may also be able to obtain awards from the Inns of Court to assist in funding their GDL and/or BPT years. Applications for these awards should be made to the Inns.

    In light of the emphasis we place on advocacy training (see below), our pupils are not expected to practise during their second six prior to the tenancy decision. After the tenancy decision, pupils who have been offered tenancy may be offered certain work provided their pupil supervisor gives permission.

  • LIFE IN PUPILLAGE

    PUPIL SUPERVISORS

    Pupils are assessed over a 40-week period. Pupils usually sit with four pupil supervisors, with each rotation lasting 10 weeks. Pupil supervisors are mid to senior-level juniors and only ever have one pupil at a time. Subject to special arrangements during the Covid-19 pandemic, you will sit in your pupil supervisor’s room, accompany them to court and arbitration hearings and mediations/other settlement meetings and (other than for exceptional reasons) attend their conferences and telephone conferences. This gives you broad exposure to the major tools of the commercial barrister’s trade – advocacy (written and oral), drafting pleadings, opinion writing, legal research, preparation of notes on evidence, trial preparation (including witness handling) and negotiation skills.

    ADVOCACY TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT

    Further, at regular intervals throughout the pupillage assessment period, you will participate in Maitland’s in-house advocacy training and assessment programme. Each individual exercise takes the form of mock hearings, for which you prepare from a set of papers given to you in advance, just as you would in practice. Senior Members of Chambers act as the tribunal, dealing with your application as it would be dealt with if genuinely made in court.

    These exercises have a two-fold purpose: they are both part of your assessment process, and are also designed to help you develop the oral advocacy skills you will need as a practitioner in a supportive environment. We believe that success in our profession ultimately depends upon a barrister’s level of accomplishment as a court advocate and, accordingly, we consider the advocacy training and assessment programme a key part of the pupillage process.

    PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

    A further key aspect of your training is in professional ethics. We run a workshop devoted to the barrister’s professional obligations, during which you are asked how you would react to particularly testing scenarios. Again, detailed feedback is provided at this workshop, which is run by senior Members of Chambers who draw upon many years of experience.

    LIFE IN CHAMBERS

    We recognise that pupillage is demanding, and we do our best to make it as interesting, enjoyable and rewarding an experience as possible.

    Pupils are not expected to work late in the evenings or at weekends, although, due to the nature of practice, there may be times when some longer hours are necessary.

    Pupils are welcomed into and encouraged to participate in the social life of Chambers. During pupillage, pupils will often have lunch with their pupil supervisors and other Members of Chambers (juniors’ fish and chips on a Friday is a regular event), and are welcome at Chambers' social events, such as Thursday evening’s post-work drinks.

    Each year, there are two pupil mentors who are Members of Chambers with experience of pupillage (as pupils and/or pupil supervisors). They play no part in the assessment process; and are available to speak to pupils, in confidence in appropriate circumstances, about personal and professional issues which any pupil cannot or does not want to raise with their supervisor.

    THE TENANCY DECISION

    We take our decision as to whether or not to offer tenancy after around 40 weeks of assessment.

    We believe in providing continuous constructive feedback to our pupils on their work, which is done through detailed discussion and an objective grading system (set against the standard we expect of a junior tenant), so you have a clear idea of how well you are progressing, what you do well, what needs improving and (crucially) how to do that. Pupil supervisors provide detailed feedback on individual pieces of work and on the pupil’s progress at the end of each 10-week rotation. The advocacy assessors also provide detailed feedback as soon after each individual advocacy exercise as possible to help you identify existing strengths and areas which require improvement. The objective grading system used by the pupil supervisors is also used by the advocacy assessors.

    We invest heavily in our pupils and hope that every pupil will meet the required standard by the time the tenancy decision is made. But inevitably there are times when this does not happen. Chambers is committed to making every effort to find good homes for any of our pupils who are not offered tenancies. The overwhelming majority find tenancies at other good Chambers.

  • LIFE AS A JUNIOR TENANT

    As soon as you become a Member of Chambers, you will take on responsibility for running your own smaller scale cases, typically in the fields of insolvency, company, property, partnership, trusts and general commercial litigation. In addition, you are likely to be led by silks or senior juniors in heavier disputes, which will give you invaluable experience of seeing established practitioners conducting litigation. This combination of independent practice and collaboration will develop your skills as both an advocate and a tactician from the outset.

    Our junior tenants are encouraged to develop their expertise across all of Chambers’ main areas of work; but equally are free to specialise if they wish.

    As one of the largest of the leading sets in our field, we have the highest levels of administrative support. You will have access to excellent resources and a dedicated team of staff to help you manage and grow your practice.

    We also offer exceptional professional support in the early years of practice. You will be welcomed into an open and friendly environment, where members look out for each other and offer a strong network of mutual support. Your colleagues’ doors will always be open, whether you want to discuss a difficult point of law or just drop in for a quick chat.

    Whilst barristers are self-employed and earnings therefore vary, our experience is that the earnings of first year tenants at Maitland generally far exceed the pupillage award and compare favourably to first year earnings at other commercial Chambers and city solicitor firms. In any event, Maitland also offers a Cash Flow Assistance Scheme for the benefit of junior tenants who have successfully completed their pupillage. This scheme operates within the first two years of practice and further details can be provided on request.

  • YOUR PUPILLAGE APPLICATION

    PUPIL SUPERVISORS

    Pupils are assessed over a 40-week period. Pupils usually sit with four pupil supervisors, with each rotation lasting 10 weeks. Pupil supervisors are mid to senior-level juniors and only ever have one pupil at a time. Subject to special arrangements during the Covid-19 pandemic, you will sit in your pupil supervisor’s room, accompany them to court and arbitration hearings and mediations/other settlement meetings and (other than for exceptional reasons) attend their conferences and telephone conferences. This gives you broad exposure to the major tools of the commercial barrister’s trade – advocacy (written and oral), drafting pleadings, opinion writing, legal research, preparation of notes on evidence, trial preparation (including witness handling) and negotiation skills.

    ADVOCACY TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT

    Further, at regular intervals throughout the pupillage assessment period, you will participate in Maitland’s in-house advocacy training and assessment programme. Each individual exercise takes the form of mock hearings, for which you prepare from a set of papers given to you in advance, just as you would in practice. Senior Members of Chambers act as the tribunal, dealing with your application as it would be dealt with if genuinely made in court.

    These exercises have a two-fold purpose: they are both part of your assessment process, and are also designed to help you develop the oral advocacy skills you will need as a practitioner in a supportive environment. We believe that success in our profession ultimately depends upon a barrister’s level of accomplishment as a court advocate and, accordingly, we consider the advocacy training and assessment programme a key part of the pupillage process.

    PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

    A further key aspect of your training is in professional ethics. We run a workshop devoted to the barrister’s professional obligations, during which you are asked how you would react to particularly testing scenarios. Again, detailed feedback is provided at this workshop, which is run by senior Members of Chambers who draw upon many years of experience.

    LIFE IN CHAMBERS

    We recognise that pupillage is demanding, and we do our best to make it as interesting, enjoyable and rewarding an experience as possible.

    Pupils are not expected to work late in the evenings or at weekends, although, due to the nature of practice, there may be times when some longer hours are necessary.

    Pupils are welcomed into and encouraged to participate in the social life of Chambers. During pupillage, pupils will often have lunch with their pupil supervisors and other Members of Chambers (juniors’ fish and chips on a Friday is a regular event), and are welcome at Chambers' social events, such as Thursday evening’s post-work drinks.

    Each year, there are two pupil mentors who are Members of Chambers with experience of pupillage (as pupils and/or pupil supervisors). They play no part in the assessment process; and are available to speak to pupils, in confidence in appropriate circumstances, about personal and professional issues which any pupil cannot or does not want to raise with their supervisor.

    THE TENANCY DECISION

    We take our decision as to whether or not to offer tenancy after around 40 weeks of assessment.

    We believe in providing continuous constructive feedback to our pupils on their work, which is done through detailed discussion and an objective grading system (set against the standard we expect of a junior tenant), so you have a clear idea of how well you are progressing, what you do well, what needs improving and (crucially) how to do that. Pupil supervisors provide detailed feedback on individual pieces of work and on the pupil’s progress at the end of each 10-week rotation. The advocacy assessors also provide detailed feedback as soon after each individual advocacy exercise as possible to help you identify existing strengths and areas which require improvement. The objective grading system used by the pupil supervisors is also used by the advocacy assessors.

    We invest heavily in our pupils and hope that every pupil will meet the required standard by the time the tenancy decision is made. But inevitably there are times when this does not happen. Chambers is committed to making every effort to find good homes for any of our pupils who are not offered tenancies. The overwhelming majority find tenancies at other good Chambers.

  • EQUALITY & DIVERSITY

    Maitland Chambers has a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, both within our own set of Chambers and across the Bar as a whole. We are proud of that commitment. We are also proud of our internal processes for fair recruitment, which reflect (we believe) the very best practice currently in use at the commercial and chancery Bar and are kept under regular review.

    But we also understand that, given the long-term and structural inequalities of life in our country, more is required to ensure that our Chambers (and the commercial and chancery Bar as a whole) fully reflect the diversity of the society which we serve. We welcome applications from people from all sections of society regardless of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief or age and encourage applications from groups presently under-represented at the commercial and Chancery Bar. Current chambers initiatives specifically designed to promote such applications include:

    • Our in house Mentoring Scheme for potential applicants from ethnic groups underrepresented at the commercial / chancery Bar (including, in particular, black applicants)
    • Our regular Women at the Commercial Chancery Bar events

    We are also strongly supportive of initiatives to increase the diversity of new talent joining the commercial and Chancery Bar generally, including through our participation in the Sutton Trust’s Pathways to Law programme, the Social Mobility Foundation’s Bar Placement Scheme, our sponsorship of the Cambridge Law Faculty’s Access and Widening Participation Scheme, the involvement of our members in the Chancery Bar Association’s “Step into law and MORE” scheme, and the participation of members in a wide variety of mentoring schemes and other outreach activities.

    DISABLED CANDIDATES

    Chambers makes reasonable adjustments in respect of disabled candidates for pupillage. Relevant details are sought in the course of the application process. Potential applicants who would like to discuss reasonable adjustments in advance of applying are also welcome to contact the Pupillage Secretary.

  • OUR BARRISTERS’ STORIES

    Read Chambers Student Guide's report on Maitland Chambers (published November 2021)

    Featured-in-Chambers-Student_2021.jpg

    'The pupil experience' feature in the Pupillages Handbook written by Emily Gailey and Joseph Bunting.

    Oliver Phillips, Rosanna Foskett and Catherine Addy KC's interviews in TARGETjobs Law on practising in the fields of Chancery, Company and Insolvency

    Thomas Munby KC and Adam Smith's accounts of life practising in Commercial and Property law in the Training Contact & Pupillage Handbook

    Duncan McCombe's account of a 'Day in the life of .... a young junior barrister'

    Hannah Ilett's report on her route to pupillage on LawCareers.net

  • THIRD SIX VACANCIES

    We are not seeking currently applications for Third Six Vacancies.

Insider Views

RORY FORSYTH

"Pupillage at Maitland is stimulating and rewarding. Throughout the year, I was set an exciting range of work across the full breadth of Chambers’ specialisms. The pupil supervisors and advocacy assessors ensured that each of these tasks were valuable learning experiences, providing comprehensive feedback in a friendly environment. I also benefitted from seeing a variety of court hearings, whilst members of Chambers were always happy to provide support and advice. The transparency of the assessment process – and the friendliness of everyone in Chambers – meant that I genuinely enjoyed a challenging year.”

CHARLES KING

"The training and support Maitland offers during pupillage is excellent, and the assessment process is transparent. The focus was simply on improving my skills to meet the standard chambers expects of its junior tenants. Each oral advocacy exercise and piece of written work was graded, and the feedback was constructive and detailed, clearly indicating what to improve and how to do so. I was therefore aware throughout the year of how I was progressing. My supervisors were always looking out for interesting hearings for me to attend with other members of chambers, so as to ensure I got as much as possible out of the year.”

EDLYN LIVESEY

“Pupillage at Maitland is excellent preparation for commercial chancery practice.

Pupils sit with four pupil supervisors with different specialisms and receive intensive one-on-one training in the core skills of opinion writing, drafting, advocacy and case preparation. My supervisors were active in managing my training to ensure that I gained a broad range of experience. Cases often involved more than one of Maitland’s practice areas, providing an insight into the typical work of a junior tenant. I received constructive feedback on all my work. Maitland’s in-house advocacy training and assessment programme gave me the opportunity to practise common types of hearing. Each advocacy exercise was crafted carefully to include elements of interest and difficulty. Maitland made a special effort to include pupils in online social events during the Covid-19 pandemic, which allowed me to get to know junior and senior members.”