About Chambers
About ChambersHead of chambers: Timothy Straker KC and Rupert Beloff.
Who we are: 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square is a leading housing, planning, property, commercial and public law chambers.
We have a reputation for excellence and are home to a group of intellectually energetic and highly regarded barristers, mediators and international tenants. We are committed to providing creative and practical legal advice to meet the commercial needs of our clients. We have a reputation for excellence in all of our core practice areas. Our barristers are supported by a first-class practice management team.
What we do: Our core areas of law include: administrative and public law, social housing, commercial, planning and property, dispute resolution, election, local government, regulatory and disciplinary, and international law.
What we’re looking for: We seek to identify candidates with the skills and potential to be outstanding barristers within our fields of expertise.
What you’ll do: Pupils’ work will include research, drafting opinions and arguments. Pupils will shadow their pupil supervisor as they do research, paperwork and go to court, sharing an office and analysing how they perform their day-to-day tasks.
Perks: Chambers shall accommodate pupils’ reasonable requests for flexible working hours in order to allow for parents of children and other dependents to meet their caring commitments.
A day in the life of... Fabjola Aruci, tenant (former pupil), 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square Chambers
University: Queen Mary, University of London
Degree: BA Law, First Class; MA Criminal Justice, Distinction
Giving an accurate summary of life at the Bar, whether as a pupil or otherwise, through the medium of a single day comes with significant difficulty; each day as a barrister is so varied that it would be impossible to choose just one to represent the work we do, even as a pupil. However, below is a range of experiences during my pupillage to provide a clearer picture of the beginning of life at the Bar.
A typical day in the first six months saw me following my pupil supervisor to court in London, observing trials and hearings of all kinds from housing or company law to local government appeals alongside our head of chambers. I assisted with research tasks, written notes and drafting pleadings, which I would compare with my pupil supervisor and get valuable feedback. I always found feedback throughout my pupillage to be constructive and fair and have no doubt that this approach improved my abilities/skills. On return to chambers after the court day, I would have time to discuss the case and any questions freely with my supervisor. Alternatively, I worked on research tasks for members of chambers of all levels of seniority on cutting-edge points of law often in the Court of Appeal/Supreme Court. On Tuesday mornings chambers have a chambers’ breakfast, as well as a chambers’ tea on Thursday afternoons – so there was always an opportunity to pick someone’s brain or just have a friendly chat. Chambers and my supervisors were live to my caring responsibilities throughout my pupillage when assigning work or managing my diary and were exemplary in their flexibility and understanding.
Turning to the second six months, from the first day I made independent appearances in the County Court, mainly across London. The clerks in chambers were live to the type of work that they would assign, and my pupillage supervisors were always available if I needed advice on any aspect of my cases. A typical day might see a hearing in relation to housing, advising a client on their position, dealing with any arising points on my feet, drafting pleadings or providing written advice.
I was also fortunate in chambers securing a secondment for me, which enabled me to develop my understanding of the relevant area of law from the perspective of those instructing. I advised the relevant client departments on their legal options, drafted pleadings, and appeared in court to represent those clients. It was hugely beneficial to see and experience the legal process from beginning to end.
My supervisors and chambers as a whole took the approach that pupillage was a learning experience which enabled me to fine tune my skills and provide me as a pupil with the arsenal that I needed post-pupillage, rather than being a one-year-long interview, which made pupillage a very positive experience.
Diversity and inclusion
Please visit www.4-5.co.uk/about-us/equality-diversity.
Percentage of female juniors: 39%
Percentage of female silks: 29%
Percentage of BAME juniors: 29%
Percentage of BAME silks: 14%
Interview with A pupil, 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square Chambers,
Year/stage of pupillage or tenancy
I am in my last two months of pupillage and I have accepted my tenancy offer.
University/ies attended and degrees/courses studied
The Open University, Bachelor of Laws Hons
I was home educated until age 16 when I started my law degree on a part-time basis with the Open University through the Young Applicants Scheme (as it was at the time). The OU Law School and the OU Law Society gave me access to an excellent range of extracurricular activities including mooting on a National and European level.
The University of Law, BPTC LLM
Describe your journey to pupillage and the Bar
I am the first lawyer in my family, so mooting and work experience opportunities helped me to decide to pursue a career at the Bar.
I undertook work experience at Kingston Crown Court, an IP law firm and an immigration law firm. I also completed mini-pupillages at Carmelite Chambers (now Mountford Chambers) and Monckton Chambers.
I applied for pupillage a few times, starting with my last year of university. In hindsight I am relieved that I did not commence pupillage straight after university because the jobs that I took in the interim provided invaluable experience that forms the foundation of my new practice at the Bar.
I started out as a legal aid housing paralegal for six months and then moved to Central Law, a grassroots non-profit in Essex. At Central Law I had a complex housing law caseload across possession, landlord and tenant, and homelessness and allocations. I also provided pro bono advice at a weekly telephone clinic. My role also involved engaging with the community and local councils. I developed a keen interest in housing law and local government matters.
Why did you choose the chambers?
4-5 Gray’s Inn Square has a highly regarded specialist housing team which definitely caught my eye. The recruitment process also stood out to me. When I visited chambers for my pupillage interview, everyone was kind and genuinely interested to hear what I had to say. I also enjoyed the lively debate with the interview panel. It was clear that everyone present enjoyed their work and had a passion for their area of law.
Describe your pupillage experience
I think I was perfectly matched to 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square. Pupillage at 4-5 provided an excellent opportunity to continue with housing law while also diversifying my practice to include wider public law issues and regulatory law.
Working with the talented housing team has been incredibly valuable. They also provided targeted training sessions to cover key areas of work which helped me to prepare for my second six and for tenancy.
The workload at chambers is carefully monitored to make sure that no one feels overworked or overwhelmed. There is also an understanding that different pupils and members will have different workloads based on their personal circumstances.
The supervision and support during pupillage has been excellent. We always have at least one supervisor and one mentor available to chat about work or to provide pastoral support.
We are also a very passionate bunch! I am thrilled to have been offered tenancy here.
Tell us about the tenancy selection process at your chambers.
The tenancy process was clear and straightforward. In addition to ongoing supervision, we were asked to conduct work for various key members of chambers including one of the joint heads of chambers. After this we met with the heads of chambers and received our tenancy offer in person.
How would you describe the culture of chambers?
Everyone is friendly, kind and helpful. We have regular events including chambers teas and lunches, where members, pupils and clerks can catch up.
We have an ‘open door’ policy. This means that if pupils or juniors have an issue they can drop into chambers and see a more senior member of chambers at any time.
Do you have any tips for those looking to secure pupillage at your chambers?
Come for our non-assessed multi-day mini-pupillage if you can, or come and say hello at a pupillage fair.
Try to develop your knowledge of chambers’ core areas of practice, especially housing law. If you have finished university or if you are studying part time, apply for paralegal or legal assistant jobs, or volunteer as a caseworker at Citizen’s Advice, Shelter, or another charity.
Read our newsletter and updates on LinkedIn to develop a feel for chambers and the type of work that we do.
What advice would you give to those considering a career at the Bar?
Nowadays there are various different routes to the Bar and the industry is diversifying.
Speak to the careers adviser at your school or university. Look at the careers information published by the Inns of Court, the Bar Council and Bridging the Bar.
Remember there is no ‘correct’ way to pursue a career at the Bar.