Recruitment

Cobden House Chambers is delighted to announce that it is now recruiting for four fully funded 12 month pupillages in the Personal Injury, Crime, Family and Business & Property/Housing Departments. 

The planned pupillage start date is October 2025 for all of the pupillages, but Chambers will consider a flexible starting date to accommodate successful candidates according to their personal circumstances. 

Please note that it is Chambers’ policy to offer pupillage with a view to tenancy. 

Chambers is committed to providing a high-quality pupillage experience tailored to the needs of individual pupils and practice areas.  Our pupillage program is focused on a competency-based assessment framework to ensure that every pupil has the skills necessary to undertake their own work and to develop their own practice in one of the Northern Circuit’s leading multi-disciplinary sets. 

The Pupillages 

Personal Injury 

Owing to a continuing growth and success of the department, we have decided to offer a dedicated pupillage opportunity in Personal Injury in our 2025 recruitment process. 

The Personal Injury pupillage will cover all aspects of personal injury from the most modest claims involving the small claims track and MOJ portal through to the Fast track and Multi-track, including an introduction to catastrophic injury claims.   

Within the team we have practitioners who deal with the full spectrum of personal injury and there will also be opportunities to gain experience in inquest work and clinical negligence work. 

We ensure that the individual sees a broad range of work and styles of advocacy both written and oral.  

Within the first six months the chosen individual will be asked to draft pleadings and advices as exercises to allow us monitor progress. 

There will be experience gained from attendance at conferences and consultations with solicitors, lay clients, and experts. 

In the second six months the individual will be able to work as an advocate but will be expected to follow their Pupil Supervisor or another member of chambers on any days or half days when not booked in their own right. 

The aim of the pupillage is to provide full and appropriate training for the expected demands of commencing practice on the Northern Circuit and beyond. 

Crime 

The Criminal Department's principal areas of practice lie in the Crown Court, where members both prosecute and defend in all types of cases up to and including the most serious and high-profile of criminal trials. There is no geographical boundary, but most of the department's work lies within the Northern Circuit. 

Individual members additionally specialise in appellate, inquest and regulatory work. 

The department also accepts and undertakes both private and publicly funded criminal and road traffic work in the magistrates' courts. 

As a department, we believe that maintaining an ethos of high-quality service and professionalism is entirely compatible with the preservation of a friendly and approachable working atmosphere. 

The criminal pupillage will be geared to providing the successful candidate with training in and experience of all aspects of criminal practice, with a view to establishing a strong foundation for a successful career at the criminal bar. 

Family 

The Family Department works across all areas of family law, including principally children law work and financial remedy, but also domestic violence applications, forced marriage and female genital mutilation protection applications.  The team is instructed by Solicitors, Local Authorities, Children’s Guardians and Police Forces in relation to this work. 

Public law care cases are a particular strength of the Department, but we aim to give the successful candidate a broad grounding in all areas, and they will of course be given every opportunity and support to develop their practice in their preferred field of work.  In public law care cases we are instructed to represent a broad and balanced mix of parents, Local Authorities and Guardians. 

In private law children’s matters we accept both publicly funded and private cases, representing parents and children. 

We have a significant practice in financial remedy cases, and also TOLATA and Schedule 1 cases.  

The family team has grown in recent years, reflecting a burgeoning reputation amongst solicitors, and we seek a pupil who can assist with the caseload we now have. 

The department strives to offer the highest standards of professionalism to solicitors whilst maintaining a friendly and approachable manner.  Cobden House Chambers prides itself on its collective and constant support for each other, which fits with the friendly reputation Chambers enjoys amongst both the Bar and Solicitors.   

Business & Property/Housing 

The pupillage will be split between the Business & Property and Housing Departments to reflect the work enjoyed by the junior members of both departments. 

The Business & Property Department’s members cover a broad range of traditional chancery and commercial work although the Department as a whole has a strong reputation for real property work.   

Individual members specialise in fields as diverse as trusts, probate, commercial property and defamation.   

A firm grounding in real property law along with an interest in traditional chancery or housing law would be of advantage to prospective candidates. 

The Housing Department’s members act for both landlords and tenants in social and private sector housing.  The Department’s work ranges from anti-social behaviour, homelessness and disrepair to regulatory enforcement and advisory work. 

The pupillage will be structured to ensure that the successful candidate gains a firm grounding in both written work and advocacy, in preparation for taking on their own work during the practicing period and establishing their own practice in tenancy. 

Pupillage Award 

Each pupil receives a total award of £35,000 comprising £15,000 during the First Six and Guaranteed Earnings of £20,000 during the Second Six. 

Application 

Application is by Chambers’ own Application Form.   

All applications are treated in the strictest confidence and are subject to Cobden House Chambers’ Privacy Policy which can be found here: 

www.cobden.co.uk/privacy_policy/  

To download the Application Form please use the following links: 

LINK TO FORM

LINK TO FORM

If you are unable to access the above links or require a paper copy of the Application Form, please contact Chambers by telephone, post or email requesting a copy and giving a full postal address within the United Kingdom to which it can be posted. 

Please read the Application Form carefully before completing it.  It is essential that you clearly mark which ONE of the FOUR pupillages you wish to apply for on the front page of the form.   

PLEASE NOTE THAT BECAUSE OF INTERVIEW TIMETABLE RESTRICTIONS WE ARE UNABLE TO ACCEPT APPLICATIONS FOR MORE THAN ONE PUPILLAGE. 

Our preferred method of submission is by email to [email protected]  

If you wish to post your completed application form please mark your envelope ‘Pupillage Application’. 

Timetable 

The recruitment process will be conducted in accordance with the mandatory pupillage timetable.   

Applications can be submitted from 11:00(am) on Thursday 2nd January 2025.   

The Closing Date for applications is 11.59 (pm) on Thursday 6th February 2025.   

Selected candidates will be notified of interview dates within 4 weeks of the Closing Date. 

Following interview, successful candidates will be notified in accordance with the timetable. 

Commencement  

The planned pupillage start date is October 2025 for all of the pupillages, but Chambers will consider a flexible starting date to accommodate successful candidates according to their personal circumstances. 

COBDEN HOUSE CHAMBERS IS COMMITTED TO EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES 

We welcome applications from ANY suitably qualified candidate irrespective of gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation or social background.  All applications are anonymised prior to assessment and our recruitment process is conducted in accordance with the Bar Council guidelines.