There is a danger in reviewing the first and second part of a four part series: people may very well expect that you will review parts three and four too. I can't promise I'll get that far but, for what it's worth, here's my take on the second episode...
I confess to being a little disappointed that the programme was, once again, quite so student-centric. Iqbal surprised us all with his offer of a pupillage at a very good set in Birmingham. At the end of last week's programme he appeared to be one of the weakest candidates. However, he came across much better in this week's programme and, whilst we know very little of his academic background, he is proof, if indeed it were needed, that a competent grade on the BVC is no bar (no pun intended) to getting pupillage.
Anna has now passed her Civ Lit resit and has been fortunate enough to have a number of interviews (3 in one day was a bit of a feat), albeit without success so far. The footage of her interview feedback was very helpful but should not be taken as representative of common practice. I do not personally know of anyone who has ever received such constructive and comprehensive feedback following an unsuccessful pupillage interview. I do, however, know of a good many people who have never received any feedback at all, despite requests!
Then we have Cat. Of all the pupillage candidates featured in the series so far she is the one I find myself rooting for the most. I think it's just because she is arguably the least savvy of them all. One does have to wonder at her having wasted precious applications on chambers like Blackstone when a cursory glance at their most recent tenants is enough to deduce that a 2:1 (albeit from Oxbridge) and nothing more is never going to even get her little toe through the door. Well, thanks to "Mr Construction QC", now she knows.
As for Jo who we know had secured a pupillage before the end of the last programme, we have seen no more of her. It will be a shame if the moment we see a candidate secure pupillage they then disappear from the programme. I would like to have seen some footage of "life as a pupil" and I have no doubt there are plenty of others out there who would have found it interesting too, if only to convince those who are still pursuing pupillage that it's not necessarily all that it's cracked up to be!
I was left wondering whether over the course of the four episodes we will eventually see all four of the featured students secure a pupillage. Whilst that would seem a just reward for each of the students who have been brave enough to lay bare their trials and tribulations throughout the process of searching for pupillage, it would, if it were to transpire, be a very artificial view of the reality and brutality which culminates in the majority of Bar hopefuls being sorely disappointed. We'll see...
As for the coverage of those in practice I found this week's episode more engaging. Maybe it's because we were, in my view, given more information about the nature of the work, and the particular cases featured, so as to provide a better insight into the reality of practice at the Bar. I enjoyed that aspect of the programme much more.
The pomp and circumstance was toned down a little this week which was no bad thing. Of course, the dinner which Iqbal attended really did portray the tradition and ceremony of the Bar at its most decadent. However, I didn't get to the end of the programme feeling that any non-barrister watching would come away with a sense that it was a world so far removed from Joe Public's perception of reality so as to be a profession to which no sensible and grounded person could relate. The balance between ceremony and reality was much more appropriately apportioned.
My final verdict on episode 2? Better, but nothing to write home about just yet. If the remaining episodes simply follow the format adopted so far with a disproportionate amount of time spent contemplating the plight of the BVC student and not so much time focussing on all of the good that is achieved by the profession, then I fear it will have failed to deliver its message to the public at large. If the point of the programme is to demystify the profession then it needs to adopt a broader approach to content. I live in hope...
I confess to being a little disappointed that the programme was, once again, quite so student-centric. Iqbal surprised us all with his offer of a pupillage at a very good set in Birmingham. At the end of last week's programme he appeared to be one of the weakest candidates. However, he came across much better in this week's programme and, whilst we know very little of his academic background, he is proof, if indeed it were needed, that a competent grade on the BVC is no bar (no pun intended) to getting pupillage.
Anna has now passed her Civ Lit resit and has been fortunate enough to have a number of interviews (3 in one day was a bit of a feat), albeit without success so far. The footage of her interview feedback was very helpful but should not be taken as representative of common practice. I do not personally know of anyone who has ever received such constructive and comprehensive feedback following an unsuccessful pupillage interview. I do, however, know of a good many people who have never received any feedback at all, despite requests!
Then we have Cat. Of all the pupillage candidates featured in the series so far she is the one I find myself rooting for the most. I think it's just because she is arguably the least savvy of them all. One does have to wonder at her having wasted precious applications on chambers like Blackstone when a cursory glance at their most recent tenants is enough to deduce that a 2:1 (albeit from Oxbridge) and nothing more is never going to even get her little toe through the door. Well, thanks to "Mr Construction QC", now she knows.
As for Jo who we know had secured a pupillage before the end of the last programme, we have seen no more of her. It will be a shame if the moment we see a candidate secure pupillage they then disappear from the programme. I would like to have seen some footage of "life as a pupil" and I have no doubt there are plenty of others out there who would have found it interesting too, if only to convince those who are still pursuing pupillage that it's not necessarily all that it's cracked up to be!
I was left wondering whether over the course of the four episodes we will eventually see all four of the featured students secure a pupillage. Whilst that would seem a just reward for each of the students who have been brave enough to lay bare their trials and tribulations throughout the process of searching for pupillage, it would, if it were to transpire, be a very artificial view of the reality and brutality which culminates in the majority of Bar hopefuls being sorely disappointed. We'll see...
As for the coverage of those in practice I found this week's episode more engaging. Maybe it's because we were, in my view, given more information about the nature of the work, and the particular cases featured, so as to provide a better insight into the reality of practice at the Bar. I enjoyed that aspect of the programme much more.
The pomp and circumstance was toned down a little this week which was no bad thing. Of course, the dinner which Iqbal attended really did portray the tradition and ceremony of the Bar at its most decadent. However, I didn't get to the end of the programme feeling that any non-barrister watching would come away with a sense that it was a world so far removed from Joe Public's perception of reality so as to be a profession to which no sensible and grounded person could relate. The balance between ceremony and reality was much more appropriately apportioned.
My final verdict on episode 2? Better, but nothing to write home about just yet. If the remaining episodes simply follow the format adopted so far with a disproportionate amount of time spent contemplating the plight of the BVC student and not so much time focussing on all of the good that is achieved by the profession, then I fear it will have failed to deliver its message to the public at large. If the point of the programme is to demystify the profession then it needs to adopt a broader approach to content. I live in hope...
15 comments:
I must say, AD, that I agree with your thoughtfully written post, though I cannot watch the programme without feeling extremely annoyed; I continue to find it all rather fake, not least of all from the point of view of the degree of feedback given - how can this be the case when some OLPAS chambers dont even RESPOND to an application beyond the cursory " acknolwedged and recieved"? Tremendously frustrating!!
I do have the feeling that all four will end up securing pupillage, because Auntie Beeb, bless her cotton socks, simply DETESTS unhappy endings.
I interviewed at that set (Lamb Buildings) and I can categorically confirm that no such feedback is given to "genuine" applicants. In fact it was positively weeks until any form of generic round robin thanks but no thanks letter was issued!
I also think that a set that asks for a breakdown of bar marks (which this does) would be unlikely to interview someone who had failed (and may therefore never qualify)!
Minxy, I sympathise with your sentiments. The impression given of the level of feedback and the support provided by members of the profession, whilst by no means unheard of is certainly not typical. It does give the impression of being a rather warm and fuzzy process which, let's face it, couldn't be further from the truth.
The message could be construed as follows: You don't get a pupillage? There, there, don't worry. A nice silk will give you a personal interview, help you to form a new pupillage acquiring strategy and those nice people from the chambers who turned you down will sit you down and tell you where you went wrong so you can avoid making the same mistakes again next time. Hmmmmmm - not the typical experience of a regular bar aspirant. It would have made for a much grittier programme if the reality had been portrayed more honestly. However, I don't imagine the profession really wants it shortcomings exposed for all to see - the cuddly wuddly fuzzy wuzzy world of the barrister is much more attractive to the outside world when filmed in soft focus! Have a stiff drink before the next episode - I'm sure you'll feel much better... AD :-)
Anon, thanks for setting the record straight. I'll bet no-one is surprised though! AD :-)
MAJOR set-up. Bernard Richmond who gave the feedback is mad about teaching young bar aspirants and giving feedback. Much to his credit he is heavily involved in e.g. advocacy training for pupils/BVC students. I imagine he would like the Bar to be a bit better at e.g. pupillage feedback so presented his "dream situation" rather than the reality. Further he is as he himself admits highly vain and would be gagging for an opportunity to be on telly ;)
I also have it on good authority that Cat's visit to Cumberland Lodge was staged - students are only allowed to go once, and she was apparently there the weekend before the weekend we were shown on the programme...
Anya, thanks for dropping by and letting us all in on some of the well concealed truths behind the carefully constructed impression being portrayed by this series. It's a shame that the profession is clearly so concerned about the impact of the reality that it has considered it necessary to construct a rather distorted, if not totally dishonest portrait for public consumption. A tad disingenuous for my liking... AD :-)
Anna's three interviews in one day were all at Lamb Building, so in a way that is the same as securing a single interview. I believe that is their normal system of interviewing, but Anon above might be better qualified to comment.
I was a bit confused when they were suggesting that Iqbal had to chose between the Birmingham set and 2 Hare Court, as it didn't appear that 2HC actually made him an offer. I was pretty sleepy so I might have missed it, but it seemed odd. In a similar vein I have opted to play for my local 5-a-side team instead of Barcelona.
TC, I think you are right that we were never actually told that Iqbal received an offer from 2 Hare Court. I do wonder as the wisdom of your decision to play for your local 5-a-side team - wouldn't it be more lucrative to play for Barcelona?! AD :-)
I was looking at Iqbal's posts in the Legal Careers forum of The Student Room (with thanks to legallyginge who pointed out that he was posting there) and he said he did get two offers - though he actually knew he had them before they arrived in the post, hence the distinct lack of excitement on his part! I bet I wasn't the only one who wanted to shake him and shout "APPRECIATE THEM!!" !
The 3 interviews all being at Lamb B makes a LOT more sense - again, as an add-on to my earlier post about Bernard Richmond, he would be enthused about a candidate who signed up for the programme, I wouldn't be surprised if that was what got her the interview in the first place. She doesn't strike me as very good at all - I thought her answer on the consent question was beyond awful - though apparently views are divided on this!
You never can tell, according to Iqbal's posts on The Student Room he is a lot more accomplished than he seemed on the programme, which may give a lot of people false hope.
What have you done! I will not be able to watch the series in the same way again... :(
I still think that the series are pretty good, but I'd make them more 'grim' too, AD! :)
Anya, I did have a quick peek on The Student Room (which is a new one on me) - indeed, he does appear to have very good academics and, it would seem, lots more relevant experience as well (if one reads between the lines) although I'm not sure that he articulates himself very eloquently, but hey ho...
Android, it's not me (well not entirely!), it's them!!! They come along here and, rather than expose me for the cynic that I am, they make me look positively .... erm .... positive! But on a slightly more serious note, it's a bit naughty to distort the reality to the extent that they have - it paints a completely false picture. I'll start handing out free happy pills with my next post! AD :-)
stop press kids - tv is a bunch of lies!!!!
this is why i have unmixed sympathy for anyone who goes on it (well maybe mixed with a bit of 'why did you do that you stupid sod?!?'). tv is about getting people hooked into a good story - it is not NOT NOTTTTTT about painting the truth of people and their lives. i know - i used to do it and, try as you might to let the real story come through, for many reasons it doesn't.
the not-particularly-sinister connection that has (it seems) not been made yet is that bernard (lamb buildings) richmond giver of excellent feedback is husband of christa richmond giver of good news about canada to anne in a really uncomfortably staged scene. as i say, this is not sinister - both are IMHO people who do loads of good work for the inn and are in my experience good at their jobs, professional and nice to me (the most important, obviously!) and i am a nobody. but the whole fake feedback thing is as people have pointed out a total fraud.
i asked for feedbabck from my first application (a good chancery set who unaccountable failed to interview me). they were worried i had no public speaking experience -i mentioned my 15 years experience as a professional actor and 10 as a trainer in communication skills (both on the cv). 'you haven't done any mooting', they opined. bless them, a busy barrister took time to speak to me on the phone, one of hundreds rejected pre-interview, but such feedback is simply not realistic or helpful. i don't ask for it now - you have to draw your own conclusions and sometimes there are none to be drawn. 8000 applicants and time to interview 20 people - bound to get a bit random.
Anya - thanks for the clarification about the 2HC offer. It must have been either bad editing by the Beeb or just a lack of attention on my part.
AD - you are right. I have therefore made myself available for selection by Barca with immediate effect, although I am slightly worried that this might not be quite so lucrative for them...
Simply Wondered - Of course TV is about entertainment and stories, but is it that unreasonable to expect fewer staged scenes from what was supposed to be a fly-on-the-wall documentary? Perhaps it is, but the obvious acting in some parts is simply unneccessary. As you point out the 'Canada' announcement was just uncomfortable. It also did not make for good TV, so in that respect the programme is a bit of failure whichever way you look at it.
I didn't like to mention the whole Christa is married to Bernard thing as I am fond of both of them and I don't want to accuse them of e.g. deliberately giving Anna the trip to Canada because she was on telly...! :)
As to feedback, I think it is a waste of time looking for it. First of all, it is a question of being the best on offer, so you may get a pupillage somewhere where the previous year with the same CV someone with a World Champion Debating medal may have beaten you to it, and so you would have been told that you "didn't have enough public speaking experience" - i.e. it's all relative, how long is a piece of string.
Second of all, that which gets up the nose of one chambers will endear you to another - I know this from experience, I behaved in interviews in pretty much the same way for all sets and whereas some sets really liked my manner, others were irritated ...
Thirdly, and for me most importantly, chambers lie when giving feedback. I bet you anything they didn't sit down and say "well that Anna girl is a definite contender, but did you notice she put on a funny voice?" -rather they probably said "not overly impressed by her presentation skills, extra-currics nothing special, academics not great, just failed a BVC module...BIN" ...but they'd rather talk about it like it's a magical science. Again this is something I know from personal experience - I asked for feedback when I wasn't selected for a second interview from one set and they spoke of the high standard of applicants, blah blah blah, and how they weren't sure my advocacy was anything special etc. I was confused as I thought my advocacy assessment had gone well, but now years later it is so blatantly obvious why they rejected me and it is because of a throwaway jokey comment I made at interview that seemed clever at the time, something I wouldn't dream of saying now that I'm older and wiser due to the potential for misinterpretation...they are not going to say "well we thought you were excellent, but you came across as rather stuck-up and/or bigoted and/or wet and/or desperate and we thought we wouldn't be able to get on with you..." are they?!
Though be careful what you wish for, one friend of mine is currently on a family law pupillage, and when she asked for feedback from one set some p.a. sent her the feedback sheet filled in by the interview panel which had the conclusion "Simply not barrister material" ...
Who knows where to download XRumer 5.0 Palladium?
Help, please. All recommend this program to effectively advertise on the Internet, this is the best program!
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