When I arrived at Bar school I was one of many students without a pupillage and no clue of how to get one. Although I had no barrister friends to give me guidance I was determined to make it at the Bar.

I made unfocused applications, to a mixed response, until I visited Middle Temple, my Inn, and spoke to Benchers (barristers of seniority) about how to get more interviews. A Bencher sat me down with the Legal 500 (a directory that has information about all chambers, superiority and practice areas) and helped me to find the set that I was suitable for — and that might want to interview me.

Be realistic This is important. Be sensible about your aims and target the chambers accordingly. Research sets thoroughly. Looking them up in the Pupillages Handbook is the first step. Print off sections of the Chambers’ website and highlight the parts that talk about the ethos of the chambers, areas of practice and cases they have been involved in recently.

Many profiles of barristers will say what they have done and the chambers’s websites often have a legal updates section. This is all information to lace through your application letter and arm yourself with if you get an interview.

Make yourself memorable Once you have selected and researched your chambers, try to organise minipupillages there. You generally need to have done at least three before applying for pupillage. I can’t overestimate their importance. They are a chance for you to make a good impression and get to know the barristers who may read your application and interview you. During a mini-pupillage, take an up-to-date CV to show to the barrister whom you’re following and ask what you would need to do to appeal more to the set. After your stint, keep in touch with the chambers, even if it is just a thank-you letter to begin with.

Getting involved The Inns of Court are an integral part of the Bar. Each Inn provides a number of scholarships for the year that you are doing the Graduate Diploma in Law (a conversion programme enabling non-law graduates to convert to a career in law) and Bar school. Selection is usually through an application form or covering letter with a CV followed by an interview.

My interview was focused on:

• my advocacy achievements, such as mooting and other public speaking;

• the area of law that I wanted to specialise in (there will usually be one panel member who is a barrister in that area of law);

• my understanding of the current climate at the Bar and how I would survive;

• How would I support myself if I did not get a scholarship or, later, if there is not a great deal of work;

• what would I do instead if the Bar ceased to exist.

The interviewing panel wants to see grit and determination but also that you are realistic about your prospects and you have a survival strategy when times are hard. You become more impressive to a chambers if you have a scholarship. The process is rigorous and if you can make a judge or barrister part with their money, you must be good.

Whether you get a scholarship or not, get involved with your Inn. They are also a hub of social activity and a good opportunity to meet barristers and get the inside track about chambers.

Follow up a meeting by writing to remind him or her that you met or that you are keen to do a mini-pupillage or ask if you can pop in for advice. Barristers understand the value of meeting members of your prospective profession and most are willing, if they are able, to help a keen student.

The art of being interviewed You can become the ideal candidate — the key is preparation. If you are serious about a career at the Bar you must devote a little bit of every day to achieving it.

Have up-to-date knowledge of your area of law. Do this by reading the Times Law Reports each day and look at case updates on legal websites, such as Lawtel etc. Keep a scrapbook of interesting cases and legal articles that might be useful for discussion at pupillage interviews.

Of my friends at the Bar, one person stands out. He read every Criminal Law Review for the past ten years in preparation for his interviews. He wanted to become a criminal barrister and he was determined to know his subject. He received seven out of eight offers of pupillage. I’m not saying you have to buy law books in bulk but you must have a strong command of your subject. If you don’t, you’ll be found out.

Then there is practice. Work with friends and select a range of questions to test one another. Once you start going to interviews, always exchange notes. Write down questions you were asked and make five bullet points of your answers that you should review and refine from time to time. Once you become more comfortable with interviews and you are more confident in your area of expertise, you can anticipate the type of questions you’ll be asked and know what the interviewer is seeking to guage from you.

Generally, interviews don’t last more than 30 minutes. In that time, you can be asked personal questions, your thoughts on a fictitious problem or be asked to do an advocacy exercise.

To prepare for these, remind yourself of the basics of the area of law; practise procedural applications — how you present the structure of your application is most important; and know you CV inside out. Remind yourself of everything that you’ve done, why you did it and what you gained from it. If there are blips, such as bad grades, be able to justify them or be honest about them. The blips are not fatal and the interviewer will appreciate your honesty.

The author is a tenant at the Chambers of Mark Love, 2 Dr Johnson’s Buildings, and has a mainly criminal practice

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