Overview
Parkside offers mini-pupillage programmes during the summer and winter holidays each year. The objective of mini-pupillage is to provide law students with a taste of working as a barrister at Parkside Chambers.
What You Need to Know
The 2-week Mini-pupillage
Over the course of two weeks, students will have the opportunity to meet and work with various members of Chambers and pupils. Such work may include attending Court hearings, conferences, legal research and drafting legal documents.
Instead of being attached to specific barristers, successful applicants will be placed in a general pool and may be called upon to assist any member who might enlist their help. The aim is that our mini-pupils can gain a broad exposure to different types of work.
Those who intend to apply for pupillage with Chambers may find mini-pupillages especially fruitful, providing some insight into the work, culture and community at Parkside.
Offers of mini-pupillages are based on overall merit, including their academic performance, relevant experience and where applicable, an applicant’s performance at an interview.
Application Procedure
Interested parties are invited to complete and submit the online application form in the link below, observing the Key Dates above. Save in exceptional circumstances, Parkside will no longer entertain paper applications.
Applicants may be invited for an interview with the Mini-Pupillage Committee. If necessary, remote interviews may be arranged (e.g. where an applicant is studying abroad and is unable to attend an interview in person).
Applicants are usually notified of the outcome of their applications in late April or early May for the summer term and in November for the winter term.
The Assessed Mini-pupillage
Applicants are invited to indicate on their application form whether they wish to be considered for the Assessed Mini-pupillage programme.
Amongst those who have expressed an interest and offered a place on our mini-pupillage programme, particularly outstanding candidates may be invited to undertake an assessed mini-pupillage. Invitations are made at the time of the offer, or during the course, of the mini-pupillage. Invitations to the assessed mini-pupillage programme are also based entirely upon overall merit.
The assessed mini-pupillage is a 4-week programme that culminates in an assessed moot. In addition to the assessed moot, all of the assignments in the course of the assessed mini-pupillage form part of the overall assessment.
Applicants should note that assessed mini-pupillages are usually only offered to candidates who intend to commence pupillage in the next 1 or 1.5 years (e.g. if you intend to commence pupillage in September 2027, an assessed mini-pupillage should typically take place in Winter 2025 or Summer 2026).
Completion of an assessed mini-pupillage is a prerequisite for future admission to our 9-month pupillage programme. Students undertaking the assessed mini-pupillage would also be considered for the Mini-Pupillage Award which recognise up to 2 most outstanding mini-pupils each year.
Key Dates
Mini-pupillages are normally undertaken between
- late May to late September (summer term); and
- December to January (winter term).
Deadline for applications
- 31 March (summer term); and
- 30 September (winter term).
Applications should not be submitted earlier than 12 months before the intended commencement of mini-pupillage but must be received on or before the applicable deadline.
