Bar Student to Barrister

Welcome to this episode of Bar Student to Barrister, the podcast on your journey into pupillage and beyond into the early years of practice at the Bar.In this episode we meet Lynda Gibbs KC (Hon), Dean ofthe Inns of Court College of Advocacy (ICCA).Lynda was called to the Bar in 1993 by the Middle Temple and practised in criminal and family law on the Midland Circuit before embarking on a legal academic career. She became Dean of the ICCA in 2019 and leads post-qualification and Bar training.Lynda was appointed KC Honoris Causa in 2020 in recognitionof her work to promote a fairer justice system for children and vulnerable people, and to improve Bar training. She sits as a fee-paid Judge in the Mental Health Tribunal.Hear about the evolution of Bar training, the impact of the ICCABar Course, and the importance of specialist training for vulnerable people, particularly children. Lynda shares insights on trauma-informed advocacy and the upcoming Rape and Serious Sexual Offending (RASSO) course, emphasising the importance of post-qualification training. The conversation highlights the challenges and aspirations for the future of legal education and practice.We hope you enjoy this episode.MORE INFORMATIONLynda Gibbs KC (Hon) on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynda-gibbs-kc-hon-93384a10b/Inns of Court College of Advocacy https://www.icca.ac.uk/ Advocacy for Vulnerable People and Children (Crime) https://www.icca.ac.uk/post-qualification-training/cpd/advocacy-training/advocacy-the-vulnerable-crime/Advocacy for Vulnerable People and Children (Family) https://www.icca.ac.uk/post-qualification-training/cpd/advocacy-training/advocacy-the-vulnerable-family/Advocacy for Children in Conflict with the Law https://www.icca.ac.uk/post-qualification-training/cpd/advocacy-training/advocacy-for-children/Trauma-Informed Advocacy https://www.icca.ac.uk/post-qualification-training/cpd/advocacy-training/trauma-informed-advocacy/CONTACTEmail: barstudent2barristerpodcast@gmail.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/iccabar/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/school/the-inns-of-court-college-of-advocacy/Website https://www.icca.ac.uk/icca-bar-course/bar-student-to-barrister-podcast/INDEPENDENCERegistration on the ICCA Bar Course confers no advantage inrelation to Inns’ scholarships or awards, Inns’ membership, Qualifying Sessions or Call to the Bar. For more information see the Policy on Independence between the Inns of Court andthe ICCA.COPYRIGHTInns of Court College of Advocacy (part of the COIC) © 2025. All rights reserved.

Meet Christa Richmond, Director of Education at the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple.Christa is responsible for the Inn’s Education Department, which looks after the ‘cradle to grave’ provision of education, training, and general advice for members and prospective members of the Inn. Find out in this episode exactly what an Inn of Court is andhow it can help you on your journey to the Bar.When and how can you join an Inn and what are therequirements?When and how can you apply for a scholarship?What exactly are Qualifying Sessions?What are the requirements of Call to the Bar and whathappens during this ceremony?And discover the wealth of additional assistance your Inncan bring you both before and after you are called to the Bar.Please follow/subscribe and we look forward to seeing youagain next Friday, with yet more helpful information and personal accounts to help and guide you on your journey to the Bar.INFORMATIONMiddle Temple website https://www.middletemple.org.uk/ Middle Temple on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-honourable-society-of-the-middle-temple/posts/?feedView=allJoining the Inn (Middle Temple) https://www.middletemple.org.uk/joining-the-innDocument Requirements and Certified Copy Guidance (MiddleTemple) https://www.middletemple.org.uk/certified-copies-guidanceMiddle Temple Scholarships https://www.middletemple.org.uk/education-training/scholarshipsDrop-in sessions for scholarship applicants https://www.middletemple.org.uk/education-training/scholarships-prizes/drop-sessions-scholarship-applicantsQualifying Sessions https://www.middletemple.org.uk/education-training/student-information-services/qualifying-sessionsCall to the Bar https://www.middletemple.org.uk/education-training/student-information-services/call-to-the-barGrays’s Inn https://www.graysinn.org.uk/Lincoln’s Inn https://www.lincolnsinn.org.uk/Inner Temple https://www.innertemple.org.uk/CONTACTEmail: barstudent2barristerpodcast@gmail.comInstagram https://www.instagram.com/iccabar/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/school/the-inns-of-court-college-of-advocacy/Website https://www.icca.ac.uk/icca-bar-course/bar-student-to-barrister-podcast/INDEPENDENCERegistration on the ICCA Bar Course confers no advantage inrelation to Inns’ scholarships or awards, Inns’ membership, Qualifying Sessions or Call to the Bar. For more information see the Policy on Independence between the Inns of Court and the ICCA.COPYRIGHTInns of Court College of Advocacy (part of the COIC) © 2025. All rights reserved.Inns of Court College ofAdvocacy (part of the COIC) © 2025. All rights reserved.

In this episode, meet Karolina Zielinska, ICCA BarCourse graduate and Called to the Bar by the Middle Temple in 2021, and a tenant at 42BR Chambers, a Legal 500 leading chambers.Inspired to join the Bar at an early age by an InternationalLaw Barrister, Karolina set out on her journey with a clear goal in mind.Karolina has developed a broad practice across chambers’areas of civil expertise, including Housing Law, Employment Law, Business & Property Law, Personal Injury and Alternative Dispute Resolution - Karolina is an accredited Civil and Commercial mediator and accepts instructions to mediatea variety of civil and commercial disputes.Karolina is also currently an Advocate panel member and hasa particular passion for pro bono work, having previously volunteered at the Free Representation Unit, Commons and Amicus UK, amongst other charities.“It’s important to really be rigorous in evaluating your ownCV at each stage of the process, so that if there are issues, that can be what you focus on before being able to put your best foot forward in an application.”“Everybody’s got different skills and you only really findout to some degree in practice what those are.”“I love the areas of practice I do, and I think when youenjoy your work and you’re good at it, then often that’s reflected back in the repeat instructions you get, and so over time that’s how my practice has carved itself out.”“If you told me, starting university or ending university,that I was going to end up doing mostly landlord & tenant or property law, I would’ve been so shocked … which is why it’s so important to get some idea of what it’s like to do things in practice before you discount them completely.”Thank you for joining us for this episode of Bar Student to Barrister. Please like/subscribe and we look forward to you joining us again next Friday.MORE INFORMATIONKarolina on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/karolina-zielinska-960120190/42BR Chambers https://www.42br.com/ Bar Code of Conduct (Part 2 of the BSB Handbook) https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/the-bsb-handbook.html?part=E3FF76D3-9538-4B97-94C02111664E5709&audience=&csrfToken=&q=Bar Council Ethics Hub https://www.barcouncilethics.co.uk/Ethical Capacities (ICCA) https://www.icca.ac.uk/ethical-capacities/Free Representation Unity (FRU) https://www.thefru.org.uk/ CONTACTEmail: barstudent2barristerpodcast@gmail.com Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/iccabar/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/school/the-inns-of-court-college-of-advocacy/Website https://www.icca.ac.uk/icca-bar-course/bar-student-to-barrister-podcast/INDEPENDENCERegistration on the ICCA Bar Course confers no advantage inrelation to Inns’ scholarships or awards, Inns’ membership, Qualifying Sessions or Call to the Bar. For more information see the Policy on Independence between the Inns of Court andthe ICCA.COPYRIGHTInns of Court College of Advocacy (part of the COIC) © 2025. All rights reserved.

In this episode of Bar Student to Barrister we hear from Sam Grimley, ICCA Bar Course graduate, called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 2025 and now a tenant at One Essex Court, a pre-eminent commercial set of barristers’ chambers in London, and The Lawyer Chambers of the Year 2025.Sam had a very successful career in the music industry as a guitarist and keyboard player. In fact, he knew from the age of 6 that music was for him. He was a session musician at Ronnie Scott’s and worked with many artists including TomJones, Ed Sheeran and Jessie J.As so often happens in life, he ultimately followed adifferent path which took him to the Bar, including taking a GDL, a BCL at the University of Oxford, completing the ICCA Bar Course and then pupillage, followed by tenancy, at One Essex Court. Sam is now a barrister specialising in commercial, competition and intellectual property litigation, with a particular interest in media and entertainment disputes.“… I’ve come from a completely different world. I mean aboutfive years ago I had never even heard of this world. So to be right in the beating heart of it now feels very strange, but I’m also utterly delighted.”“… it’s doing a good job at whatever you're given and being personable and a good member of a team that really helps anyone in any industry.”“ … get as much tailored advice as you can on your own performance, on your own strengths and weaknesses and take that on board, and try and improve off the back of it.”“I'd say the headline thing that I had to learn was the importance of clarity and actually simplicity.”“There is something extra that you get from an intense training process that is actually the product of the intensity. And the thing you get is confidence.”And as Sam says, “Go for the run!” Listen on for exactlywhat this means.This is Sam’s story to the Intellectual Property Bar.Please follow/subscribe and we look forward to seeing youagain next Friday, with yet more helpful information and personal accounts to help and guide you on your journey to the Bar.INFORMATIONSam on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-grimley-47105224/One Essex Court https://www.oeclaw.co.uk/Sam’s Chambers’ website profile https://www.oeclaw.co.uk/barristers/profile/sam-grimleyThe Pop Star and the Prophet (BBC Sounds) https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b069xcysCONTACTEmail: barstudent2barristerpodcast@gmail.comInstagram https://www.instagram.com/iccabar/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/school/the-inns-of-court-college-of-advocacy/Website https://www.icca.ac.uk/icca-bar-course/bar-student-to-barrister-podcast/INDEPENDENCERegistration on the ICCA Bar Course confers no advantage inrelation to Inns’ scholarships or awards, Inns’ membership, Qualifying Sessions or Call to the Bar. For more information see the Policyon Independence between the Inns of Court and the ICCA.COPYRIGHTInns of Court Collegeof Advocacy (part of the COIC) © 2025. All rights reserved.

Welcome to Episode 2 of Bar Student to Barrister. In this week’s episode we meet Gaurav Sachanandani, now in his early years of practice at Burnell Chambers, situated on Middle Temple Lane in London.From starting his law degree at the age of 17, we follow Gaurav through Bar training, pupillage and into his early years as a specialist tax barrister, and even why studying does not always stop when you embark on full-time professional practice.And what else do we discover on the way? First, Gaurav dreamed of becoming an astronomer before even thinking about the law.And what excited his interest in becoming a lawyer? For that you’ll have to listen, but it’s something we suspect you’ll hear more than a few times in this podcast series, at least from those who are prepared to admit it.The complexity and intellectual challenge of tax law, and the ambition to build his practice as a respected expert, is perhaps at the heart of what drives Gaurav, but you will also discover that he is positive, enthusiastic, committed, determined, and no stranger to hard work.And why is ‘cracking the code’ used in the title of this episode? Again, you can find out before too long, but it’s something that Gaurav has been doing in multiple ways as he has pursued his ambition to become a barrister.In this episode you will also hear how Gaurav approached applying for pupillage to specialist tax and chancery chambers, what written exercises he was asked to carry out, and what happened during the interview process.There is also a cautionary tale for all prospective barristers – what might happen at the end of a pupillage interview when you are asked if you have any questions? Beware the danger zone! But as we find out, sometimes things happen for a reason.Gaurav also tells us what happens when you arrive on Day 1 of pupillage in a tax chambers, as well as how to cope when technical failure greets you in your pupillage professional ethics exam.And finally, even though he is a practising barrister, does Gaurav own a wig and gown? Find out in this episode.This is Gaurav’s journey to the specialist tax Bar. We hope you enjoy this episode. Please follow/subscribe on your podcast platform for future episodes.INFORMATIONBurnell Chambers https://burnellchambers.co.uk/Gaurav’s profile https://burnellchambers.co.uk/barristers/gaurav-sachanandani/Gaurav on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaurav-sachanandani-73394a230/CONTACTEmail: barstudent2barristerpodcast@gmail.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/iccabar/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/school/the-inns-of-court-college-of-advocacy/ Website https://www.icca.ac.uk/icca-bar-course/bar-student-to-barrister-podcast/ INDEPENDENCERegistration on the ICCA Bar Course confers no advantage inrelation to Inns’ scholarships or awards, Inns’ membership, Qualifying Sessions or Call to the Bar. For more information see the Policy on Independence between the Inns of Court and the ICCA.COPYRIGHTInns of Court College of Advocacy (part of the COIC) © 2025. All rights reserved.Inns of Court College ofAdvocacy (part of the COIC) © 2025. All rights reserved.

How do you become a barrister?How do you train for the Bar?How do you apply for and secure pupillage?How do you develop a specialist legal practice?Welcome to from Bar Student to Barrister, the podcast on your journey into pupillage and beyond into the early years of practice at the Bar.In this podcast you will be hearing from many people who can tell you exactly what it feels like and looks like to become a barrister, to go through your training, including what is usually one year of pupillage, and then enter those early years of professional practice. The barristers’ profession, as well as training to become a barrister, can seem just a tad confusing at times, but as we move through the many episodes that follow, you will get to hear from many Bar students, from pupils and from practising barristers who will demystify the whole show. And if you have questions, just get in touch with us and we’d be delighted to provide answers.With Chris Kessling, barrister and Vice Dean of the Inns of Court College of Advocacy (ICCA), and Jody Klaire, ICCA Bar Course graduate, called to the Bar in 2025, and just starting pupillage! And a whole host of wonderful guests.Published weekly on Fridays, starting Friday 17 October 2025.