ICLR Pupillage Award 2024
If you are taking up pupillage at any time between October 2024 and October 2025, and being paid a total for the pupillage year (including guaranteed earnings) of no more than £37,500 (in London) or £32,500 (outside London), you could receive our top-up award of a further £13,000.
In recognition of the difficulties faced by many talented individuals during pupillage, the ICLR currently awards an annual bursary worth £13,000 in direct financial assistance to a pupil during the course of their 12 month pupillage in Chambers. The award was founded to mark ICLR’s 150th anniversary in 2015 and the first award was made the following year.
“I am so grateful for the stability that winning the ICLR Award offers, having left the relative security of a third-sector career for pupillage at the self-employed Bar. After years of working and studying towards this goal, it gives me the freedom to pursue a practice in publicly funded areas of law. The Award has also given me a confidence boost ahead of my second Six and encouraged me that I am capable of the challenge to come. The Award will allow me to focus on this challenge and take up any opportunities that arise, without the added pressure of financial concerns.”
– Helen Peden, winner of the ICLR Pupillage Award 2023
“I cannot thank the ICLR enough for all their help during my year of pupillage … Winning the award meant far more to me than just receiving its considerable financial support – it gave me the confidence to really embrace my change of profession and make the most of all the opportunities that pupillage offered me.”
Tamasin Graham, winner of the ICLR Pupillage Award 2019
Previous awards
2023: Helen Peden (Garden Court North)
2022: Lily Belfer (187 Chambers)
2021: Matt Ward (187 Fleet Street)
2020: No competition took place due to covid-19.
2019: Tamasin Graham (Lamb Building)
2018: Daniel Wand (4 King’s Bench Walk)
2017: Ben Haseldine (4 King’s Bench Walk)
2016: Sophia Stapleton (2 Dr Johnson’s Building)
The application process
1. Initial application round
- The first step in the application process asks for information about your finances and why you feel you need financial assistance to support you during pupillage.
- We believe that by virtue of having secured pupillage, all candidates will have passed a rigorous interview process and have an excellent academic background. Accordingly, we will not ask you to provide us with a CV.
- We will ask you to supply two short pieces of writing to demonstrate your intellectual merit.
- We will ask you for the details of a referee. We may contact your referee if we require more information about you.
2. Shortlisting and headnote drafting exercise
- We will draw up a shortlist of six candidates who will be asked to write a headnote based on an unreported judgment that we will supply. We expect all candidates to have a solid understanding of the content and structure of a law report.
3. Selecting the winner
- The final selection of the winning candidate will be made by the judging panel: Margaret Bowron KC, Mr Justice Roth and Brendan Wright (ICLR)
- The final decision will be based on a combined evaluation of the headnote and the short-written pieces supplied in the initial application round.
- The winning candidate will be notified in September 2024
The Rules
- The award will be based on a combination of financial need and merit.
- The award is made irrespective of the core practice areas of the set hosting your pupillage.
- To be eligible to apply for this award, you must have secured pupillage whether it’s to start this year or next year.
- You must have a confirmed offer of pupillage at the time you make your application for the award, and we will ask you to provide evidence of a confirmed offer during the application process.
- The total value of the pupillage award being made to you by the set of chambers hosting your pupillage must not exceed £37,500 in London (ie within any London borough) or £32,500 outside of London (including guaranteed earnings).
- The application window opens on 1 March 2024 and closes on 30 June 2024.
- The award will be paid to the winning candidate in two payments of £6,500. The first will be paid at the commencement of the first six months of pupillage, the second payment will be made at the commencement of the second six.