We’re back after the summer with the third edition of GRL Legal‘s #ChambersInsider. As specialist recruiters for the Bar we continue sharing practical insights about the ever-changing world of Chambers, recruitment and operations.
Our team brings a unique perspective, having held senior leadership positions within Chambers before moving into recruitment consultancy well over a decade ago. This blend of operational experience and recruitment expertise allows us to understand the nuances and challenges of Chambers life from both sides of the fence After years of working closely with Chambers across the UK, we’ve gathered some interesting perspectives we know you’ll find valuable.
In this month’s #ChambersInsider:
- GRL’s Market Insights: Entry-level roles reimagined, August’s ‘long vacation’ disappearing, why mentoring matters, and the new data-driven Practice Director
- #OfftheRecord: Our next exclusive Chambers interview with Chris Mitchell – Director of Clerking at Rose Court Chambers
- Inside the Bar: Harman Review on misconduct, the Legal Aid fallout, Bar student numbers on the rise, and two must-attend events this term
- #GRLrecruits: Recent placements and exciting opportunities with leading Chambers
GRL’s Market Insights
Entry-Level Roles: A New Direction
Chambers are rethinking what “entry-level” means. No longer seen as informal, apprenticeships focused on administration, running errands or attending members at Court, our clients are seeking out individuals with different and often developed skills.
The pandemic, flexible working arrangements, and paperless environments have meant these roles are now more internally focused and require greater levels of interaction with members and clients from the get-go. We’ve witnessed a sharp shift away from clients wanting ‘first or even second jobbers’ in to these positions to much greater emphasis on ‘real experience’ – where time spent in other sectors and additional skills will add to and improve those already within Teams. A significant shift upwards in entry-level salaries has also opened up this part of the market.
That shift is good news for candidates who haven’t followed a traditional path and good news for diversification. Chambers are actively looking for transferable skills such as:
- Organisation & Prioritisation – handling multiple deadlines with ease.
- Client Service & Communication – confident, professional interaction with clients and barristers.
- Problem-Solving Under Pressure – staying calm and effective when things go wrong.
- Tech Savvy – comfort with CRMs, data, and digital tools.
- Teamwork & Adaptability – thriving in fast-paced, collaborative environments – already experienced in leading and or managing others.
In particular, we’ve witnessed Regional Sets leading the way in hiring from outside the Bar. The message is clear: knowledge, experience and skills developed away from the Bar are becoming highly sought after.
August is No Longer the Long Vacation
The myth of August as a “dead month” has officially gone. Historically, Chambers slowed down over the summer while courts paused and the profession disappeared on holiday. That reality has shifted.
This year, we ran full interview panels (with actual Silks on them too!), director-level recruitment processes, and placements right through August. The “long vacation” is shrinking fast, and while waves of holidays still slow decision-making, the idea of an entire sector grinding to a halt is now history.
For some, August has become a valuable time to regroup, reset strategy, and prepare for the autumn term. But the truth is clear: the work doesn’t stop. Chambers with diverse practices – from commercial through to family, regulatory, and crime – are busier than ever.
Mentoring, Upskilling & Future-Proofing Careers
We’ve seen growing emphasis on mentoring and structured development within Chambers. For those aiming at senior leadership roles, technical skill isn’t enough – you need a plan. The most ambitious candidates are already engaging with mentors, business coaches, and training to bridge gaps in areas like leadership, finance, business development, and (increasingly) AI.
Our advice? Don’t wait until you’re interviewing for a senior position or you’ve gone through a process and realised you are lacking in key areas. Start planning 5-10 years ahead and identify the skills and behaviours lacking. Investing in your own development today will pay dividends when that opportunity you’ve always wanted pops up.
The Expanding Practice Director Role
We’ve done extensive work recently with Sets seeking out new senior leaders for their clerking functions. Combining many of the traditional skills of a Senior Clerk with clear capabilities to lead from the front and develop business. Step forward the ‘Practice Director’, a role which continues to evolve and diversify. Chambers wants strong leadership, business development expertise, and the ability to deliver measurable performance outcomes.
Data analysis is now a more central expectation in the Job Descriptions which we are helping to shape. With clear acknowledgement of the need for leaders who can introduce and interpret performance metrics, reporting structures, and CRM-driven insights. Without good data, AI is irrelevant. With it, the opportunities are enormous.
We don’t expect this to stop here, with Chambers already looking to other industries for inspiration, potentially hiring specialist data analysts to support strategy and business planning ( in place for law firms and other professional services businesses). It’s an exciting shift – transforming a role into one at the very heart of Chambers’ growth and decision-making.
#OfftheRecord
Pulling back the curtain on Chambers life through the eyes of those who know it best.
We’re excited to continue our interview series, where we’ll be sitting down with the people who make Chambers tick. In our third instalment of the series, we have an exclusive interview with Chris Mitchell, Director of Clerking at Rose Court Chambers. With nearly three decades in the Criminal Bar, Chris brings a wealth of experience and perspective to the evolving role of clerking, sharing insights on:
- His journey from Junior Clerk at Four Brick Court Chambers to Director of Clerking at Rose Court Chambers
- The lessons learned under Marc King at Carmelite, running one of the busiest clerks’ rooms in the country
- Leading at Rose Court, a pioneering virtual Chambers founded during the pandemic
- Why sustainability, wellbeing, and cultural alignment are central to the future of the Criminal Bar
- The pressures of court backlogs and funding, and how Chambers can adapt to support long-term careers
Read Nick’s candid conversation with Chris in our #OfftheRecord interview here.
Want to share your Chambers story? Whether it’s about operational transformation, overcoming hurdles, or pioneering new approaches, we want to hear from you. Connect with us to be featured in #OffTheRecord.
Inside the Bar
The Harman Review
Baroness Harriet Harman KC’s Independent Review of Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Harassment at the Bar has called for a landmark rule change: banning sexual relationships between pupils and members of Chambers, clerks, or staff with influence over their careers.
Currently discouraged but not prohibited, such relationships leave pupils vulnerable to exploitation during the tenancy decision stage. By classifying them as “serious misconduct,” the review aims to create clear, enforceable standards across the profession. If adopted, this would mark a cultural shift – placing pupil safeguarding firmly above discretion or tradition.
Legal Aid Update
The Legal Aid Agency breach continues to cause serious headaches. While some criminal payments have resumed, family and civil practitioners remain exposed, with only interim payments available based on past earnings. A new digital system is promised for the autumn, but confidence is low. For many Chambers, the crisis underlines how fragile and unreliable the funding system has become.
GRL caught up with Ryan Dover of Fee Clerk Collective Ltd, a specialist outsourced fee collection service provider and an expert in this area, for his views on what he’s seeing:
“The LAA cyber attack has caused major issues across multiple practice areas at the Bar. Whilst crime sets experienced their fair share of problems, they did get off lightly versus our colleagues practising in Civil & Family sets!
Criminal sets have had the luxury of being able to continue to bill AGFS cases throughout most of the downtime in systems, as the CCD AGFS portal remained open and unaffected by the attack. However, payments to Crime Barristers were disrupted for a short period of time during May and early June, as although cases could be billed, they could not be assessed or paid due to ongoing issues with their internal payment system, which was thankfully addressed within weeks of downtime beginning.
Unfortunately, those practising in Family & Civil legal aid have remained in the dark for some time, with very little in terms of “real” updates and being given the option of opting in weekly to a contingency scheme. Whilst “weekly averaged” contingency payments have been helpful, many barristers have not earned what they may have done during this period. This has affected new Barristers and those returning from periods of not working the most, as they did not have previous earnings high enough to produce good weekly average contingency payments. There are also concerns amongst Fees Clerks in Chambers regarding the recoupment process, as this will make weekly payment reconciliation much more difficult. Recoupments do occur often across Civil legal aid cases, but no one will have dealt with recoupments on this scale ever before. It is likely to take a long time before full recoupment is made, as the pace of recoupment will be set at 25% of the weekly averages paid to suppliers and is to be kept under close review by the LAA and could be adjusted subject to how the 4 months backlog of claims progresses.
The good news CCMS is expected to be back up and running towards the end of September, with some testing still ongoing with a select few providers, so Civil/Family billing should resume soon. There have been some concerns regarding the system’s stability as it is expected that the system could be overwhelmed as suppliers from Solicitors, Chambers and Costs Drafting firms rush to allocate fees, submit, and bill cases. Initially, we would expect access to be limited to working hours on business days while the LAA monitor the situation and stability of systems out of hours.
One thing I will personally be looking forward to with the reintroduction of CCMS, will be the ability to obtain electronic copies of remittances as these have been subject to delays since May. I think most will agree, whilst contingency payments and regular payments for fees have been helpful, having payments and no being able to pass them on to their rightful owner has been one of the most frustrating elements of this downtime.”
The LAA’s latest bulletin/guidance can be found here.
Rising Numbers at the Bar
The pipeline of aspiring barristers keeps growing: 2,445 students enrolled on Bar Training Courses in 2024–25, up slightly on the year before. BPP London admitted the largest cohort (442), while BPP Bristol enrolled just 12.
But outcomes vary dramatically. Among students with a 2:1 degree, pass rates range from 96% at ICCA to under 50% at some providers. With pupillages still limited, Chambers are likely to scrutinise training routes more closely as numbers rise and disparities widen.
Upcoming Events
- IBC Conference 2025 – London, Saturday 22nd November. This year’s conference will be co-chaired by William Theaker and George Bennett. A must-attend event.
- Pupillage Fair – Manchester, Saturday 29th November. Supported by the Bar Council and expected to attract record student attendance.
Coming soon: More details on further Bar Council events, training initiatives, and networking opportunities to look out for in early 2026.
#GRLrecruits: Current Opportunities
Your next career move could be just a click away. Here are our hand-picked positions with Leading Barristers’ Chambers:
- Business Development & Marketing Manager – Leading Barristers’ Chambers (Leeds/Newcastle)
- Practice Manager – Leading Public Law Barristers’ Chambers (London)
- Chambers Administrator (London)
- Fees Clerks – Several Leading Chambers
- Junior Clerks – Several Leading Chambers
We’re proud to have recently completed several significant placements across the legal sector. Our recent successful processes include:
- Chief Executive Officer – Leading Chambers in Bristol (just completed)
- Practice Director – Leading London-based Chambers
- Director of Clerking – Crime, Fraud and Professional Discipline
