Probationary Tenancy

Described by The Legal 500 as a “stand-out set with a first-class team”, we have 81 barristers and 26 members of staff.  We handle some of the most interesting litigation in England and Wales today, often involving important legal, ethical and social issues.

We offer probationary tenancies (commonly known as Third Six Pupillages) from time to time, when there is a specific need within Chambers. These are aimed at outstanding candidates who have completed pupillage elsewhere and are looking to build a career at a leading public law set.

Probationary tenants join us at a formative stage in their practice and benefit from a structured, supportive environment designed to help them develop a busy and rewarding career across our specialist areas.

CURRENT Vacancy: Probationary Tenancy in Police Law

Chambers invites applications for a six-month probationary tenancy (commonly known as a Third Six Pupillage) focusing on police law in all its forms, including civil and human rights claims, inquests, inquiries, judicial review, misconduct, operational policing matters and civil preventative orders. For more details about our police law work please see the practice page here, as well as this interview with James Berry KC who, with Cecily White, leads our Police Team.

The successful candidate will be invited to make an application for full tenancy on the completion of their probationary tenancy. Although an offer of full tenancy is not guaranteed, we will only recruit a candidate who we anticipate has the potential to have a successful, happy and rewarding career as a full tenant of Serjeants’ Inn.

The probationary tenancy is unfunded but reasonable travel expenses may be available in certain circumstances and the successful candidate will not make any financial contribution to Chambers during the probationary tenancy.  The probationary tenant will be fairly allocated work and will be involved in the same career development and social events as full members of Chambers (see examples of support provided here). They can expect a busy practice, appearing regularly in Court from the outset.  Chloe Hill, a junior tenant, comments on our Chambers recruitment website here, “Police law is a great way of practising a range of public law including inquests, inquiries and judicial review. The breadth of police law also means you will be providing written advice and taking on your own cases very early on”.

The probationary tenant will be assigned a member of Chambers who, like a Pupil Supervisor,  will actively mentor their professional development, remuneration and wellbeing and – with our Head of Pupillage, Eloise Power – provide guidance and feedback throughout their probationary tenancy and application for full tenancy. We will also provide a separate welfare mentor.

The application process

Chambers is committed to fair and transparent recruitment, recruiting purely on merit in accordance with the Equality and Diversity Rules and our Equality and Diversity Policy.  We encourage applications from all sections of the community, including groups which are currently underrepresented in the legal sector, and are happy to make reasonable adjustments as necessary. All applications will be treated with strict confidentiality and considered:

a) by reference to the applicant’s potential to develop a cutting-edge understanding of police law and excellence in written work including civil pleadings, advocacy and trial tactics, as evidenced by all the elements of their application, including references and paperwork as detailed below; and

b) in accordance with the selection criteria we apply to pupillage recruitment as follows:

•  analytical thinking
• commitment to a career at Chambers
• effective communication
• integrity
• intellectual ability
• interpersonal skills; and
• motivation and resilience.

For the avoidance of doubt, the successful candidate will be completing or will have completed their pupillage at another first rate set of Chambers. They do not need prior experience of police law, but should have a grounding in civil law.  Knowledge of public law would be an advantage but is not a requirement.

Please see more about our approach to equality and diversity here. We seek to operate in a fair and inclusive way in order to achieve the Bar Council’s stated aim of “a profession representative of all and for all.”

The deadline for applications for this probationary tenancy, which will commence in Autumn 2025 on a date to be agreed, is 29 August 2025.  Please send a CV and covering letter to probationarytenancy@serjeantsinn.com, illustrating how  your education, work experience and pupillage equips you for this role and why you are interested in practising in police law at Serjeants’ Inn, plus three examples of anonymised paperwork (one pleading, one advice and one skeleton arguments) and the contact details of three referees, at least one of whom should be a previous Pupillage Supervisor or Head of Pupillage.  Please also provide a completed copy of our Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form.