Pupillage and Tenancy

At Temple Tax we have recognised specialists in every area of tax and VAT for both advisory work and litigation.  From corporate to private client, and cross-border work to ground-breaking tax litigation, we can provide specialist help with advice and litigation.

Members appear in court at levels from County Courts through to the Supreme Court and usually act for the taxpayer, although we have members who also represent the Government. 

Pupillage

Applicants do not have to have any previous experience of tax law.  We expect good legal knowledge, ability to interpret statutory provisions, creative thinking and problem-solving skills.

It is our aim that pupillage will be a year of learning in which you will thrive and we make our final tenancy decision based on the strengths of each individual pupil.

Pupils shadow their supervisors in Court, in conferences and in Chambers. They get the chance to prepare written submissions, pleadings, advices and other paperwork in the cases in which their pupillage supervisors are involved.

As part of the training requirements laid down by the Bar Council, pupils must also attend the advocacy training course provided by their Inn of Court. Pupils also usually complete a forensic accountancy course during the second six months (it must in any event be completed by the end of the third year in practice).

We are committed to equality of opportunity for all pupillage applicants and candidates for tenancy.  We are actively improving diversity in Chambers and encourage applications from under-represented groups at the Bar including women and ethnic minority backgrounds. 

Pupillage application process

We will accept applications for pupillage commencing October 2023 via the Pupillage Gateway from 6 January 2023 to 10 February 2023. There are no set number of pupillages we offer. The pupillage award is up to £65,000.

The full timetable for applications can be found on the Pupillage Gateway website.

Advice on pupillage applications

Selection

We normally interview between 5 and 10 candidates.  In making our initial selection for interview, we look for proven academic ability, but also for some evidence of determination, resilience and a commitment to practice at the Bar. We do not require prior experience of studying or working in tax. We are interested in assessing candidates’ potential to develop as tax barristers, not their current level of legal or tax knowledge. However, we do expect candidates to have given sensible thought to why they might be suited to and interested in a career at the Tax Bar.

Our first-round interviews are based on a short problem given to the candidate twenty minutes beforehand. This will usually be a question of statutory interpretation. This exercise is designed to test the candidate’s ability to work through statutory provisions, and to weigh the merits of different interpretations.

Our second round consists of a written exercise to be completed within a set time. This exercise usually deals with case law, including how the candidate analyses and applies relevant legal principles. Relevant cases and materials are provided. Written answers are anonymised before being marked by the committee, but the final decision is taken in the light of the candidates’ performances over both rounds.

Where necessary, we hold a third round of interviews, where candidates are questioned on their written answers from the second round or are set a fresh problem.

Tenancy

Chambers only offers pupillage with a view to tenancy and to those we believe have the ability to make successful careers at the tax bar.

We know how important it is to support tenants in building their practices. Our new tenants find that, alongside their own work, they will work with more senior members of chambers on advice and litigation.

Contact Us

All enquiries relating to pupillages should be made by e-mail to clerks@templetax.com.   

Our Policy on Pupillage and Recruitment can be found here.