Inns entrance exams

catherine22

Hi everyone

I am currently debating whether or not to sit the Kings Inns entrance exams this August (as I have an offer for the Bar course in England) and was hoping someone could tell me something about them. Is there as many places as people who sit them? Are they hard exams? are they similar to ones sat in University?

Also when finished what is it like to practice. Im not worrying about finding a master because I think I have found one. but just in general what is practice like, I think i would maybe like to work in the northern circuit if possible.

Thanks for reading

Jo King

The vast majority of people who sit the entrance exams pass them and are offered a place. The subject which causes most difficulty each year is Company Law followed with some people also having difficulty with Evidence. Some people do not sit all the exams after finding the first one or two too difficult. The exams are set by lecturers from universities around the country and are similar to exams set in any university.
It is a physically draining effort to sit these exams because they run the five of them in one week. Anybody who has a law degree and who prepares well should not have difficulty but nothing should be taken for granted.

johnnyskeleton

Practice is hard work, with no money, and no guarantee of future earnings. These are just about the only certainties in the first few years at the bar, because there are so many different ways of doing it that no one can say what your practice will be like. You could get a few briefs and earn a fortune, or work like a dog and get nothing. You could do a lot of court work, or you could be sitting in front of a computer all day every day. You could spend years working your way up, or find yourself in the supreme court on day 1.

It depends on your master, your contacts, your personality, your talents, and a random element similar to luck. Go into the courts and have a look around, that might give you an idea.

hullaballoo

johnnyskeleton wrote:

Practice is hard work, with no money, and no guarantee of future earnings. These are just about the only certainties in the first few years at the bar, because there are so many different ways of doing it that no one can say what your practice will be like. You could get a few briefs and earn a fortune, or work like a dog and get nothing. You could do a lot of court work, or you could be sitting in front of a computer all day every day. You could spend years working your way up, or find yourself in the supreme court on day 1.

It depends on your master, your contacts, your personality, your talents, and a random element similar to luck. Go into the courts and have a look around, that might give you an idea.

I like those odds.

dermot_sheehan

The Inns exams are stressful and draining but the course is fun and interesting once you get in.

Regarding comparison to the BVC in England, remember whatever the difficulties in making a name for yourself at the irish bar, in England you have to get a pupillage after your BVC and I believe only less then 50% of pupils completing the BVC get a pupillage. Even after this you have to get tennancy and even then you are in a similar situation to the irish bar (having to make a name for yourself) though you do have the support of being in chambers with people.

hullaballoo

What are pupillage and tennancy? (You can PM me if you don't want to drag the thread off topic, but I think it could be relevant to some readers.)

dermot_sheehan

Pupillage is basically the equivalent to devilling in Ireland or an apprenticeship in a solicitors firm except your doing it with a chamber of barristers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pupillage

Tenancy is when you join a chambers after you've finished your pupillage and are fully qualified. Generally the chambers will be the one you did your pupillage in though this isn't always the case. It's possible to fork out the 10k sterling for the BVC, be in the 50% that gets a pupillage, and still not get tennancy at the end of your pupillage.

johnnyskeleton

gabhain7 wrote:

It's possible to fork out the 10k sterling for the BVC, be in the 50% that gets a pupillage, and still not get tennancy at the end of your pupillage.

True, but you do get paid for your pupillage. I think it's about £6,000 plus whatever you make for yourself in your second 6 months. I'm not sure what the sterling/nothing exchange rate is at the moment, but I would imagine that the first year in the English bar is a good deal better financially than in the Irish bar.

catherine22 wrote:

I think i would maybe like to work in the northern circuit if possible.

Try to organise a second year master who practices up there. Word on the street is that it is marginally less difficult to get work on circuit.