The Structure of Our Pupillage
We believe that pupils should be involved in every aspect of their pupil supervisor’s work. We give our pupils a rounded overview of an advocate and solicitor’s role, and equip them for the legal and practical challenges they will face in practice.
As a pupil at Fahri, Azzat & Co., you will have two pupil supervisors through the year. Pupil supervisors are chosen to ensure that each pupil gets a solid grounding in the three core areas of Firm’s work – civil, crime and public law. Beyond that core, you will experience your supervisors’ particular areas of expertise. In recent years, for example, supervisors have been experts in areas including commercial dispute resolution, company and family law. This will give you an opportunity to experience a range of different work.
Our starting point is that we want you to succeed. In line with our reputation as a progressive firm, we have developed a structured and challenging pupillage programme. Our aim is to ensure that a pupillage with us is stimulating and exciting and that pupils receive the support necessary to fulfil their potential.
Pupillage at Fahri, Azzat & Co. is very much a hands-on experience. From your first day with your supervisor you will get stuck into whatever cases your supervisor is instructed on at that moment. The typical work involves doing first drafts of the documents which your pupil supervisor is working on. You will therefore develop a wide experience of drafting pleadings and other court documents, writing skeleton arguments and compiling written advices. You may also be asked to do a first draft of questions to be used in a cross examination, or to prepare opening or closing submissions.
You will also be involved in every step of the advisory and litigation process. Pupils attend conferences with clients, listen in on phone conversations where appropriate, and are encouraged to discuss the strategic, procedural and ethical elements of cases with their supervisors.
The emphasis which we place on the close working relationship between pupil and supervisor means that pupils do not do any additional work for other members of the Firm. You will be able to focus entirely on the cases which you are involved in on a day-to-day basis.
You are also given the opportunity to build your own practice from a very early stage. Our pupils are given cases of their own at the start of the Second Six of the pupillage year. Fahri, Azzat & Co. prides itself on its friendly and supportive environment, and so we provide advocacy training for all our pupils, led by qualified Bar Council advocacy trainers. Additionally, when you start taking on your own cases, you can count on your pupil supervisors and other members of the Firm to help you prepare for your very first experiences in Court. We strongly encourage our pupils to take on pro bono cases with the National Legal Aid Foundation or other legal aid bodies, and we will provide support and ensure that you have the time you need to dedicate to pro bono work.