How to deal with pupillage rejections
Much has been written on how to get pupillage; far less on receiving rejections. Yet, knowing how to deal with the common phenomenon of rejections is an important skill. Without it, candidates can suffer unnecessary distress which may adversely affect their performance at interview or in future applications.
Most applicants to the bar have been academically successful all their lives. A rejection from a chambers, whether they decide not to interview you, or not to offer you a pupillage, a third six or a tenancy, is both unfamiliar and unpleasant. You may doubt if you are cut out for this demanding profession. This is a painful but important question, especially at the pre-pupillage stage, as it is well known that some applicants have little hope of obtaining a pupillage no matter how often they apply. There is no shame (and often much wisdom), after various attempts, in calling it a day.
True motives
Consider, with absolute honesty, your motives for going to the bar. We know of people who have spent many years trying to obtain pupillage, finally obtained one, and ended up leaving the bar, disillusioned, at the end of pupillage. Do it because you want to (and not anyone else) and because you have a keen interest in the law (as opposed to a keen interest in calling yourself a barrister). The profession might be portrayed as glamorous in fiction, but the image of the flashy barrister seems a million miles away after a difficult day in court, during which you were hounded by the judge and all your witnesses fell to pieces in the box, especially when you return to chambers only to find an equally difficult brief for the next day. Your heart must be in this job.
Perspective
When reflecting on a rejection, always remember that there are probably no applicants who obtain pupillage, and then tenancy, without being turned down. Some of the greats at the bar faced many setbacks before things finally fell into place. Although it can feel like a punch in the gut, and disappointment is natural, keep your chin up, and learn the lessons.
How to turn a negative into a positive
So how do you turn rejection into a springboard for success?
First, consider whether you made obvious mistakes. Did you mention the name of a different chambers in your application because of sloppy cutting-and-pasting (it happens)? Do you not know your practice from practise? Did you have typos in your CV? These are common errors. Chambers routinely bin applications for these flaws alone, because competition is too stiff to allow any room for carelessness.
Secondly, consider seeking feedback from sets which reject you, especially if you were interviewed. Think about how you came across in your application: too mousy, too arrogant, too unsure about what sort of work you wanted to do? Were you sufficiently articulate and insightful in interview? Conduct a full post mortem, unpleasant though it may be.
Thirdly, ask yourself some frank questions. Do the tenants at the junior end of your intended sets have CVs similar to your own? If they have second degrees, maybe this is your weakness. If they did campaigning work for certain charities, perhaps your CV would benefit from demonstrating your commitment to a cause. Did their academic qualifications outstrip yours by some margin? Maybe you need to re-evaluate your chances of success there. Fourthly, remind yourself of your strengths regularly. The applications process — and pupillage itself — can be damaging to your ego. Have a good grip on how strong your CV really is, including the positives. If you are serious about applying for the bar, you are likely to have many skills and talents.
Finally, consider the experience of applying as formative, as thickening your skin so that it becomes like that of a rhinoceros. Although sensitivity to the feelings of others is important for a barrister, the bar is no place for wilting violets. Those barristers who, in court, appear impervious to everything thrown at them by the judge or opposing counsel, who are promontories against which vast waves crash harmlessly, were once pupillage candidates and, later, lowly pupils in the county and magistrates’ courts. Rejection, whether in the context of pupillage applications or through the words of an unsympathetic judge, is part and parcel of a barrister’s life.
So, whether you are preparing for pupillage interviews or soon to start pupillage itself, set your expectations at the right level and, in the knowledge that setbacks form part of the process, give it your all.
This article is based on a chapter in ‘Pupillage Inside Out: How to Succeed as a Pupil Barrister’ by Daniel Sokol and Isabel McArdle (Sweet & Maxwell, 2013).
