Pump Court Chambers selected as first in London to take part in Justice First Fellowship

The Legal Education Foundation (TLEF) has selected Pump Court Chambers in London to take part in its ground-breaking Fellowship scheme, alongside Bristol-based St John's Chambers.

This is a year-long pupillage at Pump Court, following completion of a 12-month period of employment with the Bar Pro Bono Unit. The pupillage will be predominantly with the Family team at Pump Court, with a focus on publicly funded work across a wide range of areas encompassing private and public law children, financial remedies and inheritance.

The 2-year JFF training programme is being run by TLEF, with support from the Bar Pro Bono Unit.

Matthew Smerdon, chief executive of TLF, said:

'When we launched our Justice First Fellowship scheme in 2013, it broke new ground. We are ambitious for our Fellows and one of our key aims for the scheme is to create the future leaders of the legal profession. With 18 trainee solicitor Fellows in place already, I am absolutely delighted that we have now been able to work in collaboration with the Bar Pro Bono Unit, the Council of the Inns of Court and the Family Law Bar Association to extend the scheme to include the Bar.'

Jess Campbell, chief executive of the Bar Pro Bono Unit, said:

'We look forward to helping future generations of the Bar better understand and interact with vulnerable people who struggle to access legal help. Having these talented pupils join the Unit as caseworkers will enable us to further facilitate access to justice. It is a privilege to be able to play a role in the training and education of future pro bono barristers.'

Jennifer Lee, on behalf of the Pupillage & Tenancy Committee at Pump Court Chambers, said:

'We are very excited to be the first set in London taking part in this extremely worthwhile cause, which has the promotion of access to justice, rule of law and equal opportunities at its core. As a set committed to those core values, and proud of our professional excellence, we feel that it is important to give high-calibre candidates, dedicated to advancing those aims, a fair opportunity to become successful members of the Bar in an increasingly competitive environment.'

The closing date for Fellowship applications is today (4 May 2016). For more information and application submission, visit the JFF website.