The defining quality of Old Square Chambers is excellence. This is the standard we set for ourselves in the delivery of services to our clients, and the criterion by which we assess prospective tenants and pupils. Many of our members hold part-time judicial positions, sit on specialist panels, act as mediators, and edit or contribute to leading practitioner texts.
Our expertise covers eight areas of law: employment and discrimination, professional discipline, personal injury, clinical negligence, travel, product liability, environment, health and safety, and public inquiries. We also have members who specialise in ADR/Mediation within those practice areas. We are a highly specialised, forward-thinking set, committed to expansion. Our objective is to select a small number of pupils with the aim of recruiting our tenants from them. Chambers operates an Equality and Diversity Policy which fully complies with the Bar Standards Board’s requirements. We are committed to ensuring all of our recruitment and selection processes are fair and that protected characteristics are safeguarded. We are based in Bedford Row in London, with a strong client base in the South West and nationwide. Our work is balanced between Claimant and Defendant/Respondent, and includes the protection of individual rights. We work on behalf of trade unions, commercial organisations, the NHS and local and central government.
In employment we cover all the relevant areas including: discrimination, collective action, individual rights, restraint of trade and human rights. We also have a thriving practice in the field of professional regulatory and disciplinary work, especially in the healthcare sector.
In personal injury we have an excellent profile spanning all types of litigation. Particular areas of strength include catastrophic injury, disaster and multi-party litigation.
In clinical law we have a number of expert practitioners encompassing all disputes affecting and involving the medical, dental, pharmaceutical and nursing professions.
In product liability and health and safety compliance we engage in civil and criminal litigation of varying complexity as well as public inquiry work.
In environmental law we represent corporate and individual Defendants. Case experience includes prosecutions of major pollution incidents, permit breaches, marine regulation prosecutions, the release of hazardous or noxious substances, and the escape of controlled waste.
We also undertake human rights and public law work where it relates to our main fields of practice. Much of our work involves the use of European jurisprudence.
Pupils will experience a wide variety of court and paperwork. There is also the opportunity to work closely with Silks on complex and sometimes high-profile cases.
Pupils are offered generous funding. The Award for pupils starting with us in October 2025 will be £70,000 (of which £10,000 is guaranteed earnings at the conclusion of the practising second six). We also offer a draw down facility to successful applicants of up to £20,000. This is available once the offer has been accepted, the contract returned and is subject to references.
Application details
Mini pupillages are available – please see the mini pupillage tab on how to apply.
Sponsored pupils are not accepted.
Chambers is a member of the Pupillage Gateway; apply here. This also includes details of funding and deadlines for entries.
Minimum 2.1 degree desirable.
There is a significant amount of second six pupil work.
Application process
Old Square Chambers accepts applications via the Pupillage Gateway, details of which are above.
Once the advertisement closes, Chambers undertakes a shortlisting exercise of applications, scoring candidates against the following criteria:
- Intellectual ability – The score for this criterion is based on the academic qualifications on the CV and/or other evidence of intellectual abilities, such as from the individual’s work experience.
- Written skills – This criterion is assessed on the basis of the content of the application form.
- Potential and motivation to be an advocate – This criterion is assessed on experience of public speaking (e.g. mooting, debating, other public speaking), representation work or indications of potential in this area.
- Commitment to Chambers’ fields of practice – This criterion is assessed on evidence in the application form as to the candidate’s preferred areas of practice as well as the reason given for why they are applying to Old Square in particular. It is not necessary for a candidate to show interest in all core/growth areas to achieve the highest scores.
On conclusion of the shortlisting process, we will contact applicants to advise as to the progress of their application, including whether they will be invited to attend Chambers for an interview with our panel.
Wherever possible, interviews are conducted in person. Our process usually consists of two rounds of interviews, undertaken in March and April.
Chambers advise successful candidates according to the Pupillage Gateway advertised dates.
Feedback for unsuccessful interviewees can be provided on request. We do not offer feedback to applicants who do not reach the shortlisted stage.
If you require any further information, or require any reasonable adjustments to the application or interview process, please do not hesitate to contact our joint Heads of Pupillage, Tara O’Halloran or James Chegwidden, or our Chambers Director, Sarah Earl.