Requirements

Barrister - requirements

Barristers are legal professionals who represent people or organisations in court. Read on to learn more about how to become a barrister, and what the role involves.

Know what you'll need to land a job below.

Do you need a postgraduate qualification to be a barrister?

If your undergraduate degree is not in law, or your law degree is over five years old, you’ll need to do a law conversion course – known as the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL).

The Bar Practice Course (BPC) is the postgraduate course that leads to becoming a barrister and covers the vocational side of training.

After the BPC, you can start your pupillage.

What skills do you need to be a barrister?

As well as being hard-working and detail oriented, you’ll need to be a good communicator who can work well under pressure.

Hard skills usually include:

Knowledge of the legal system
Understanding of laws and statutes
Understanding of the courts

Soft skills include:

Attention to detail
Communication
Presentation
Problem solving
Research
Problem solving

Do you need work experience to be a barrister?

Relevant work experience is essential to becoming a barrister. Any legal experience is useful, especially a mini-pupillage which is a short period of work experience within a set of chambers. Other relevant work experience includes work as a paralegal, work in the courts or voluntary work with Citizens Advice.