Pupils
Once you have been offered a pupillage it is important that you register your pupillage with the Bar Standards Board. The forms can be downloaded from the Bar Standards Board’s website. You are not required to submit a copy of this form to Lincoln’s Inn unless you have a shortened pupillage. If you have any concerns or queries regarding your pupillage please contact the Education team.
Pupils are required by the Bar Standards Board to satisfactorily complete a minimum of twelve hours of advocacy training within their first six months of pupillage. Lincoln’s Inn provides these courses for all pupils, however, pupils outside of London and the South East Circuit are recommended to approach their circuit directly as training is offered on circuit. Pupils on circuit or from other Inns are very welcome to attend the courses run by the Inn should they prefer.
Pupils who started vocational Bar training from 2020 onwards are also required to complete ‘The Assessment of Professional Ethics’, which is a compulsory open book examination, before the end of your pupillage. 3 months of pupillage must be completed before the date of your exam. All information about the materials for the ethics exams and instructions on how to access them can be found here.
Pupils’ Ethics Evening
Lincoln’s Inn holds a Pupils’ Ethics Evening on annually for those who wish to attend. At this session, Pupils will have a chance to explore ethical scenarios with tutors, in a group setting. Pupils’ from all 4 Inn’s can attend this course and there is no fee.
Please note, this session is independent to the compulsory ‘Assessment of Professional Ethics‘ exam. The content discussed has not been designed in relation to this exam. Rather, this session gives pupils’ a chance to explore and learn more about potential ethical situations they might face in practice.
The Courses
Pupils’ Advocacy Training
You must complete an advocacy training course within your non-practicing period, which is usually the first six months of your pupillage.
This course is run over a residential weekend at an external venue. Pupils arrive on the Friday evening and the course finishes on Sunday afternoon. This course includes one civil and one criminal case for all participants. Pupils are able to select either civil or criminal law for a submission exercise, which includes producing a skeleton argument which must be submitted one week before the course begins.
Pupils are also required to attend a preparation session in advance of the course. This is held during the evening at the Inn approximately ten days in advance of the course.
The teaching style used throughout the course is the Hampel Method, which pupils may be familiar with from the BPTC. The following is included during the weekend:
- Witness handling
- Narrative advocacy
- Case theory
- Video reviews of performances
- Opening and closing speeches
The course you are booked onto is dependent upon when you undertake your ‘first six’/non-practicing period.
Dates & Locations
Dates and Locations of the course can be found below. Please note that allocations for each course will be sent 5 – 6 weeks prior.
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Course |
Date |
Location |
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Additional Pupils’ Advocacy Course (Summer 2025) |
Case Analysis: Tuesday 10 June 2025, Online, 18:00 – 20:30 Skeleton Review: Thursday 19 June 2025, Online, 17:45 – 20:00 Interlocutory Application: Tuesday 1 July 2025, Online, 17:45 – 20:00 Trial Exercise: Saturday 12 July 2025, Gray’s Inn, 09:00 – 17:00 |
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Pupils’ Advocacy Course
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Preparation Session: Wednesday 05 November 2025, Lincoln’s Inn, 17:30 – 20:30 Residential Weekend: Friday 14 – Sunday 16 November 2025 |
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Pupils’ Advocacy Course
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Preparation Session: Wednesday 28 January 2026, Lincoln’s Inn, 17:30 – 20:30 Residential Weekend: Friday 06 – Sunday 08 February 2026 |
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Pupils Advocacy Course |
Preparation Session: Thursday 25 February 2026, Lincoln’s Inn, 17:30 – 20:30 Residential Weekend: Friday 06 – Sunday 08 March 2026
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Fees
The pupils’ training is offered free of charge to all Lincoln’s Inn members on a pupillage required to undertake the course. If you are on a pupillage and have received a dispensation from the BSB and are not required to complete the pupils’ advocacy training, you are still able to attend the course by paying a fee. Please contact Tasnima Akther for more information.
How to Apply
When you receive your BSB email confirming your registration of pupillage, you must pass it on to the Inn. You will not be able to book onto a course without your BSB confirmation. It is your responsibility to contact the Inn to book yourself onto a Pupils’ Advocacy Course.
If you have not yet received your Pupillage confirmation, and are waiting to hear back from the BSB, please email Tasnima Akther, Post-Call Training coordinator.
Bookings for our Pupils course 2025 – 2026 will open in the summer period.
If you have begun pupillage and require to complete the course before the November 2025 course, please email Tasnima, to discuss what steps to take.