The Legal Cheek Student Survey 2023 (Bar Version)

Please answer the following 11 questions and provide comments where you wish.

Question Title

* 1. Where are/will you primarily apply for pupillage?

London

The Midlands

Wales

South England

North England

Not Intending to Practise in England/Wales

Please enter any comments, such as why you have chosen this area:

Question Title

* 2. What were your primary reasons for pursuing the bar route rather than the solicitor route? Select up to three options.

Benefits of Being Self-Employed vs. Employed

Collegiate Nature of the Bar

Dislike of Corporate Culture

Enjoyment of Advocacy

Family Connections

Financial Benefits

Intellectual Challenge

Perceived Prestige

Please enter any comments, such as perceptions about the barrister and solicitor routes, or any other reasons not listed here:

Question Title

* 3. In which area of law do you wish to practise? Select up to three options, in order of preference.

	1st	2nd	3rd
Chancery (Traditional/Commercial)	Chancery (Traditional/Commercial) 1st	Chancery (Traditional/Commercial) 2nd	Chancery (Traditional/Commercial) 3rd
Commercial	Commercial 1st	Commercial 2nd	Commercial 3rd
Criminal	Criminal 1st	Criminal 2nd	Criminal 3rd
Employment	Employment 1st	Employment 2nd	Employment 3rd
Family	Family 1st	Family 2nd	Family 3rd
Intellectual Property	Intellectual Property 1st	Intellectual Property 2nd	Intellectual Property 3rd
Mixed Civil	Mixed Civil 1st	Mixed Civil 2nd	Mixed Civil 3rd
Mixed Common Law	Mixed Common Law 1st	Mixed Common Law 2nd	Mixed Common Law 3rd
Human Rights	Human Rights 1st	Human Rights 2nd	Human Rights 3rd
Personal Injury/Clinical Negligence	Personal Injury/Clinical Negligence 1st	Personal Injury/Clinical Negligence 2nd	Personal Injury/Clinical Negligence 3rd
Property	Property 1st	Property 2nd	Property 3rd
Public	Public 1st	Public 2nd	Public 3rd
Tax	Tax 1st	Tax 2nd	Tax 3rd
Other (please specify below)	Other (please specify below) 1st	Other (please specify below) 2nd	Other (please specify below) 3rd

Please add any comments, such as why you are interested in these areas, or any other areas not listed here:

Question Title

* 4. What draws you to your chosen practice area(s)? Select up to three options.

Academic Interest

Chances of Obtaining a Pupillage

Current Market Trends

Financial Reasons

Intellectual Challenge

Perceived Prestige

Personal Experience

Work-Life Balance

Please enter any comments, such as why these reasons are important to you, perceived perceptions about areas of law, or any other reasons not listed here:

Question Title

* 5. What features are most important to you when selecting which chambers to apply to? Select up to three options.

Chambers Facilities

Chambers Rankings

Diversity Statistics

Number of Pupillages Offered

Outreach Schemes

Perceived Prestige

Personal Connections to Chambers

Positive Encounters with Chambers

Pupillage Award

Pupil Retention Rates

Quality of Work Offered

Reputation for Friendliness/Supportiveness

Structure of Pupillage

Work/Life Balance

Please enter any comments, such as why these features are important to you, or any other features not listed here:

Question Title

* 6. What would put you off applying to a particular chambers? Select up to three options.

Lack of Support for Working from Home

Low Quality Work

Low Pupillage Award

Low Pupil Retention Rates

Perceived Lack of Prestige

Poor Chambers Rankings

Poor Diversity Statistics

Reputation for Being Unfriendly/Unsupportive

Please enter any comments, such as why these features would put you off, or any other features not listed here:

Question Title

* 7. How many days per week would you like to be in chambers (as opposed to working from home) once qualified?

5 Days in Chambers

4 Days in Chambers/1 Day Working from Home

3 Days in Chambers/2 Days Working from Home

2 Days in Chambers/3 Days Working from Home

1 Day in Chambers/4 Days Working from Home

5 Days Working from Home

Please enter any comments, such as why you prefer working in chambers/working from home:

Question Title

* 8. What are your main concerns about the pupillage/baby junior years? Select up to three options.

Building a Reputation

Burnout

Financial Security

Imposter Syndrome

Job Security

Lack of Supervision

Lack of Work/Life Balance

Loneliness/Solitary Nature of Work

Monotony of Tasks

Stress/Mental Health Pressures

Time-/Self-Management

Work Being Too Difficult

Please enter any comments, such as why these are concerns for you, or any other concerns not listed here:

Question Title

* 9. What do you believe chambers value the most in the pupillage application process? Select up to three options.

Academic Grades

Legal Work Experience

Extra-Curricular Achievements

Personal Connection to the Chambers (e.g. family connection, school ties)

Advocacy Achievements

Non-Legal Work Experience

Candidate's Socio-Economic Background (e.g., accent, school attended)

Type of University Attended (e.g., Oxbridge, Russell Group)

Please add any comments, such as why you have the perception that chambers value these elements, or any other elements not listed here:

Question Title

* 10. What are you preferred ways to learn about a career with a particular chambers? Select up to three options.

Chambers Brochure/Website

Chambers Profiles/Rankings

In-Person Events

Social Media

Virtual Events

Workshops

Please add any comments, such as why you prefer these mediums, or any other mediums not listed here:

Question Title

* 11. Which social media platforms do you use?

Instagram

Facebook

TikTok

Twitter

I Don't Use Social Media

Please enter any comments, such as why you prefer these platforms, or any other platforms that you use not listed here: