Comments on: Usefully (Self)-Employed

By: simplywondered

simplywondered — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:42:32 +0000

thanks for answering my impertinent queries. while i’m sure the advice to be quiet is to protect pupils’ chance of tenancy (and the fact that in the same position - as i may yet manage to find myself - i would toe the line and shut it) it’s still wrong. shoot the buffers now - it would be a kindness.
and what is it to do with the blasted inns anyway? they exist for their members and not vice versa.
as a professional trainer of some years standing and an actor of more, i am trying to sell my services as advocacy trainer. even suggested a course fees reduction in exchange for my gold dust. and i try to claim that OTHER barristers are arrogant!

By: Usefully Employed

Usefully Employed — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:01:26 +0000

April pupillage comes from some random thing here (in an anonymous English city that isn’t London) where they take two pupils per year, but at six monthly intervals: I’m starting my first six whilst the last one is starting the second. There’s good and bad - I’ve had problems finding an advocacy course, and the Bar Council talk to me as though I’ve done it just to upset them, but I don’t have that unsettling feeling that my fellow pupil and I are after the same job.

Attitudes towards blogging are changing, Bystander on the Magistrate’s Blog noted recently that when he first started there was a campaign to find and discipline him, and now the MoJ actually links to his site.

In the same way I doubt many barristers / chambers would have a problem with blogging per se, but the fact is that to many old fashioned barristers putting yourself on a platform and airing your views in public simply isn’t done. Attitudes are changing, but a tenancy rests on a simple vote and membership of a chambers will include old buffers who react badly to it.

The recent exhortations to pupils to be quiet may well be born out of anxiety for their chances.

By: simply wondered

simply wondered — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:27:31 +0000

what is it about chambers that they want bloggers to stfu? you’d have thought a misunderstood profession like the bar would welcome people being human and giving a bit of insight to the ordinary folk. this is an arrogant body i seem to want to join!
and how come you started pupillage in march/april?

By: Usefully Employed

Usefully Employed — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 21:10:34 +0000

Thanks as always for the comment - have no fear, I’m already feeling guilty that my number of posts has dropped off a bit of late. I’ll be prioritising posting here (together with some panicked learning of laws that aren’t to do with employment.)

By: Nearly Legal

Nearly Legal — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:59:39 +0000

Good luck and I hope it goes wonderfully. Completely understand the ‘no pupillage blogging’ rule, but I hope you keep the blog going. We haven’t got enough good substantive/practice law blogs to lose one.