Barrister's clerk
Barrister's clerks run the day to day administration tasks for barristers at offices called chambers.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
In this role you could:
- take books, documents and robes to and from court
- prepare, collect and deliver documents by hand
- photocopy, file and deal with letters, emails and phone calls
- collect fees, handle accounts, invoices and petty cash
- organise the law library
- manage each barrister's diary and keep their case information up to date
- deal with solicitors, clients and their barristers
Working environment
You could work at chambers, in an office or in a court.
Career path and progression
With experience, you might become a senior barrister's clerk, chambers director or practice manager.
As a senior clerk, you'll:
- recruit, train and supervise junior clerks
- bring business into chambers
- allocate cases to barristers
- manage finances and negotiate fees
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- excellent verbal communication skills
- excellent written communication skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to use your initiative
- administration skills
- the ability to work well with others
- legal knowledge including court procedures and government regulations
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
Some employers may expect you to have a university degree. A course in law or a related subject can be useful but is not essential.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
More Information
You may need to have A levels or equivalent qualifications.
Subjects you could consider include:
- A level Law
- T level in Management and Administration
- level 3 Diploma in Business Administration
- level 3 Certificate or Diploma in Law or Applied Law
Entry requirements
You may need:
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
More Information
You could get into this job through a higher apprenticeship in business administration or a law related higher apprenticeship.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
More Information
You could start as an admin assistant in a law office and train more on the job to work your way up.
You'll usually need:
- 4 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) or equivalent, including maths and English
- experience in administration, legal secretary work, accounting or management
Paid or unpaid work experience in barrister chambers may give you an advantage when you apply for jobs.
Further information
You can find out more about working as a clerk in a barristers' office from the Institute of Barristers' Clerks.
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This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.