Life at the Bar : Becoming a QC and my journey to the Bar
An interview with Siân Mirchandani QC, Barrister with 4 New Square
Why was becoming a barrister the right career for you?
My family background is British Asian. My father was an immigrant Indian doctor and my Welsh mother was formerly a nurse, then a medical secretary. My father died when I was 12 years old. My brother (now a litigation solicitor and partner at Hogan Lovells), and I were raised in Swansea by our mother. Sadly, the very week in which I had my silk ceremony in March 2019 was the same week as my mother’s funeral.
I attended a local comprehensive school and then Emmanuel College, Cambridge. I took the longest, slowest route to the Bar – becoming a veterinary surgeon first. I chose this subject as it appeared to be the most challenging option available, I liked animals and was good at sciences. When I eventually realised that I didn’t want to pursue a career as a vet or in the pharmaceutical industry I sought professional careers advice and undertook several vocational tests. The results of nearly all of these pointed strongly to an aptitude for law.
Having spent a few weeks seeing practice with lawyers (both solicitors and barristers), I chose to move to London to take the Common Professional Examination at City University. I supported myself by doing veterinary locum positions at weekends. From there, I went on to the Bar Course at the Inns of Court and then pupillage at 2 Crown Office Row, London (now 4 New Square), still undertaking veterinary locum work until 2000.
Following completion of pupillage in 1998 I was taken on as a tenant, and I have remained at 4 New Square ever since. I applied for silk in 2018 and was appointed in March 2019.
What advice and support did you receive along the way?
I found my cohort of would-be barristers to be a hugely supportive crowd. There were others, like me, a bit older, who had already had one career. We kept each other going when at times it seemed we have given ourselves an impossible goal. When I was offered a pupillage, I still did not appreciate how momentous this was – as it had been one of the first assessments I had done. I did not know whether to accept or try for others. I was working to support myself and also working hard on assignments so I had had little time to find out about other sets of chambers (and websites did not exist!). I quickly did a few placements in other sets and realised the true value of what I had been offered and accepted that first offer. It was absolutely the right place for me.
What is it about the profession that particularly suits you?
I am a problem solver. I am able to assist others with understanding complex and daunting matters. They do not spend their lives in litigation and their brushes with the law may be deeply unpleasant. I work with a lot of professionals who are perhaps being sued or disciplined, and it is often a shocking or draining experience for them. My role is to reassure them that there is a route through it; that they will come out the other side and will carry on in their profession. Being that person, who charts then steers the course is absolutely the best part of the job.
What are the challenges facing today’s aspiring barristers?
The financial challenge is horrifying. I received a full grant for six years of university, with no tuition fees. Funding my CPR and BTC in London myself, with family support, was hard enough, but had I been carrying debts from my earlier career it would not have been possible.
There is fierce competition to get pupillage and the level of competition for even mini-pupillages is sobering. I mentor aspiring barristers and solicitors – their drive, sophistication and industry is remarkable. The future of the Bar is in good hands!
There is excellent support and information for aspiring barristers, and significant scholarships from the Inns of Court. Some sets of chambers also offer funding for pupillage and LLMs. These, and funded, assessed mini-pupillages are a fantastic development.
I wait to see if these massive efforts to improve diversity and help with adequate funding at the student stages do result in increased numbers of barristers from BAME backgrounds.
What advice would you give to someone from an under-represented background, seeking a career at the Bar?
Your background is likely to have shaped and formed you. Anything that you have overcome to get to where you are is likely to be of interest when you are applying. Tell that story. Tell it well.
Really read the questions on application forms! Use highlighter pens to ensure you see what are the “key triggers”. The forms are designed so each answer is marked against a marking grid. If you don’t include the information that is being asked for then you cannot be given the marks.
Get someone to read your completed forms and ruthlessly check for spelling, grammar, punctuation and that the question has been answered. No one who leaves in simple errors should be surprised at a lack of success.
For more information about 4 New Square and our pupillages visit https://www.4newsquare.com/recruitment/pupillage/